It was probably inevitable that nearly every available patch of land along the shore from Cannes to the Italian border has been built up. I’m not talking about an unending succession of huge new tourist hotels, as was the fate of Spain’s Costa del Sol, but rather with a mix of both new and well-maintained old buildings. There is an obvious lack of open spaces, but nevertheless there are a few places of relative tranquility where the bustle of modern life does not overwhelm the beauty and history of the past. Such a place is Old Antibes, the “heart” of a beautiful, peaceful, but thoroughly modern town of about 100,000 just half-way between ritzy-glitzy Cannes and huge, sprawling Nice. I was fortunate to spend three weeks there in February, with unfailingly sunny days and Celsius temperatures in the teens (the 50s and low 60sF). To a Canadian escaping our seemingly interminable Winter it was a paradise, which these pictures will show you!

Antibes was founded as the trading post Antipolis by the Greeks in the fifth century BC, annexed by Rome in 43 BC, and Christianized in the 4th century AD. After centuries of wars and numerous invasions, since 1608 it has been a heavily fortified “royal city”: today its “Square Fort” and parts of the impressive ramparts still exist. It also harbours what is probably the poshest marina in the entire Mediterranean. There will be a subsequent article about the Square Fort and the marina, but to my mind the “new town” isn’t particularly unique, so won’t be covered. Here’s a good English-language source of information: www.cote-azur.fr/riviera/antibes.htm?1=en

This article will only be about the “old town”, the part of the city that is small and easily explorable on foot, and which was originally contained within the fortified ramparts. I found it to be a refreshingly “different” place, in that while tourists flock to it in the summer, there appears to be no effort by the town or the local tourist bureau to aggressively publicize it. It seemed as if they were saying: “You are welcome to come and enjoy our town, but just don’t overwhelm us”.

I’ve escaped Ottawa’s winters in many places, starting back in 1986. Overall, Antibes provided the most relaxed, interesting and enjoyable escape that I have ever experienced in any country.