Eze

Eze village sits on a cone of rock about four hundred and twenty-seven metres above the Mediterranean, with the coast almost directly below, which is why it is called an eagle's nest. The lanes are stepped and vaulted, and where the castle stood the Jardin Exotique now grows cactus and succulents among the ruins, with a view along the coast to Saint-Tropez on clear days. A steep path drops from the village to the shore at Eze-sur-Mer in about an hour: Nietzsche walked it while working on Thus Spoke Zarathustra and it carries his name. The village and the seaside settlement are entirely separate places.

History

The area around Èze was first settled around 200 BC near Mount Bastide, and the Antonine Itinerary names its bay Avisionis portus; a hoard of Greek silver bowls of the 3rd century BC found here in the late 19th century is now in the British Museum. Romans and then Moors held the area, the Moors for about 80 years until William of Provence drove them out in 973, and in 1388 Èze passed to the House of Savoy, which fortified it as a stronghold near Nice. French and Ottoman troops under Hayreddin Barbarossa seized it in 1543, Louis XIV destroyed its castle and walls in 1706 during the War of the Spanish Succession, and in April 1860 its people voted unanimously to join France; its church of Notre-Dame de l'Assomption was built in 1764 (Wikipedia, Èze).

What you'll find

• The exotic garden - cactus and succulents planted in the castle ruins.
• The stepped lanes - vaulted medieval passages up the rock.
• The coastal panorama - the shore hundreds of metres directly below.
• The Nietzsche path - a steep hour down to the sea.

When to go

April to June and September to October; the village is crowded with coach parties through the middle of the day in summer. Early morning gives the light and the space.

Things to know

The village is small and mostly shops and perfumeries, seen in an hour. It is steep throughout with no vehicle access. The Nietzsche path is rough, unshaded and much harder uphill.

Nearby

Monaco lies east; Nice is west along the corniche roads.

Key facts