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| Cannes attractions |
The
Cannes Film Festival. Created in 1946 to give competition
to the Italian "Mostra" in Venice. It became one the
major events in the Movie Industry with the most famous actors
and directors coming from all over the world. Since 1982 this
annual event has taken place in the new "Palais des Festival"
specially designed and built for this event.
The largest Island off Cannes is "Ile Sainte-Marguerite",
dominated by a fortress which was also a prison. One of the
most celebrated prisoners was the "Man with the Iron Mask"
whose identity remains a mystery forever.
The smallest Island off Cannes is Saint-Honorat, easily
recognized by its ancient Monastery founded by the end of the
4th century, with a fortified section built by the monks as
a protection against the Barbarian attacks. |
Antibes,
an old village only 30 minutes from Cannes, has the nicest harbour
of the Côte d'Azur. Founded by the Greeks, it had many different
authorities, dating back to the 14th century when the city belonged
to the Grimaldi Family (now in Monaco). Now you will find a
Picasso exhibition in the Grimaldi Castle. Picasso lived and
worked in Antibbes in 1946. In the same exhibition you will
find paintings of Nicolas de Stael, Léger, Magnelli, Hartung
and Max Ernst.
Before the building of the lighthouse, people cared for a large
fire every night on top of the Antibes cape, in order
to prevent the ships from going onto the rocks. Several centuries
after, an "intellectual fire" took place with the
most famous American writers living there, (Hemingway, Dos Pasos,
Scott Fitzgerald, etc...). It's still a very popular place with
a lot of big private houses and top-level hotels such as the
Eden Rock. |
Saint-Paul
de Vence is a very nice city in the hills above Cannes.
Today its main attraction is as the place where one finds all
the artists and art galleries of the area. But it wasn't always
like that in the past : St Paul was an independent republic
in the 13th century, fortified in order to fight against outside
powers and invaders. |
Valauris
is one of the world famous places to buy dishes and pottery.
It began in the 11th century through trading with Corsica and
Italy. There you can not only find pottery makers, but also
several art galleries concerning Picasso, Cocteau and Miró,
who lived here.
|
 Grasse
- perfume. What more is there to say? |
Beside
its large harbor, its restaurants and its golf fields, the small
village of La Napoule has a particular asset; its castle.
Built during the 14th century, it eventually was completely
destroyed. The wealthy American artist, Henry Clews, decided
to rebuild it in his own way. It was in 1918 and his dream is
now a reality. |
| In and around Cannes there is always something to do.
In July for example, Cannes is the location for the worlds
pyrotechnical competitions. |
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