“It was pleasant to drive back to the hotel in the late afternoon, above a sea as mysteriously colored as the agates and cornelians of childhood, green as green milk, blue as laundry water, wine dark.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tender Is the Night
This was the most anticipated day of our trip in the French Riviera: get behind the wheels and drive the three corniches.
We started in Nice, followed the coastal road through seaside villages like Beaulieu-sur-Mer
And Cap d’Ail
We then took moyenne corniche till we passed Monaco and descended into Beausoleil – a quaint little town of narrow streets lined with Belle Époque buildings.
At Cape Martin, the surf picked up.
From Avenue Winston Churchill, we could see Menton – the last town on the French Riviera
Before Italy
In Ventimiglia we were transported back in time driving the cobblestone streets and through medieval arches.
We had lunch sunning on the terrace of a beachfront ristorante. Our Spaghetti al Pomodoro and Trofie al Pesto – a signature dish from Liguria – were simple and delicious, and our dark haired waiter very handsome.
On our way back to Nice, we took the high road (Grande Corniche) – bracing the thrills of its many hairpin turns and doing our best to keep our eyes on the road.
It was Monday, Trophée des Alpes in La Turbie was closed. But from its parking lot, here is a view of the Prince’s Palace of Monaco and Casino Monte Carlo.
Travel-Gourmand.com 
Beautiful!
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Thank you Rothpoetry!
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You can call me Dwight! (<:
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It takes nerves of steel to negotiate some of those curves. But what a spectacular trip! 🙂
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Thank you Mel. No pictures possible from this driver seat for sure 🙂
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I did this road too in 1991, just from Italy on the way to France, the Loire castles and Paris. I’m sorry now we skipped Beausoleil – your photo is incredible! And I remember seeing the lovely hues of Ventimiglia in the rearviewmirror, thinking I must come back one day since we didn’t stop that time. I came back alright, just quite a bit more – over 500 km – to the south. 🙂 Lovely memories this post spurred, thanks for that.
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Thank you Mexi Movie. We didn’t go far either, but it was a good day trip :)Have a wonderful weekend!
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What lovely weather you had for your drive. Love that area, it brought back nice memories. I enjoyed your post.
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what a great trip!!
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Thank you Amy!
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Amazing pics! You have a lovely blog 🙂
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Thanks! I am glad you like it 🙂
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