Yesterday, to our delight, we discovered Le Vieil Antibes. (Old Antibes). In this part of town, cobblestone alleyways meander in all directions. (Right angles? Who needs ‘em?) Old Antibes is aptly named. It turns out that as French cities go, Antibes has a longer history than most.
Most cities in southern France have a similar history. One tribe or another established a settlement at a geographically desirable location. Romans showed up, took over, and if they stayed, built whatever they found into a city with roads, plumbing, baths, and all the amenities.
It’s All Greek to Me
Antibes’ history is a bit different. The ancient Greeks showed up at Antibes, and stayed. They established Nice, Antibes, and Marseilles as trading centers with local tribes.
Being invaded by Greeks was different than being invaded by ancient Romans. Romans might come in, wipe out any signs of resistance, and take over.
The ancient Greeks, on the other hand, established a cooperative presence with the local population. They moved in, too, but they didn’t take over. Coastal cities in southern France became major stops on Greek trade routes. They called the region Gallia.
This benefitted the locals as much as it did the Greeks. Consider winemaking, (and drinking)…
Grape vines could be found in southern France way before the Greeks showed up. The locals used grapes to produce some form of alcoholic hootch.
But wine as we know it didn’t flow in southern France until the Greeks brought vines specifically developed for winemaking. They brought tools, technology and know-how, and showed grape growers how to make the good stuff.
And guess what? Pretty soon Greeks who could afford it were drinking wine from the South of France, shipped in from Nice, Antibes, or Marseille.
Lunchtime in Antibes. Oh Boy.
Speaking of wine, it’s time for lunch, which, in France, usually includes a glass or two of vin.
We left our hotel, walked one block, turned right, and entered Le Vieil Antibes. It’s a great place to wander around, get lost, and wander around some more. We saw a tiny piece of it last night, while looking for our restaurant, but today we can take our time and go further.
I don’t think I’ve ever walked past so many tempting places to stop for lunch. We decided on a place with tables outside under blue-and-white striped umbrellas.
The thing that drew us in was the number of people there having moules-frittes – mussels and fries. The South of France is moules-frittes country. Other places have ‘em, but this is where they’re at their best. We both ordered them.
For the next two hours or so, we enjoyed a fantastic meal washed down by local chilled white wine, almost as if we were French. We even had ice cream for dessert. For the French, this is normal. For us, this is way better than normal.
Le Vieil Antibes
But let’s get back to Antibes back in the day. The Greeks came and went, followed by the Romans. Ancient Romans being ancient Romans, they conquered whoever was there to greet them, moved in, and went to work.
They laid out a planned city with streets on a grid around a central square, They built roads and defensive stone walls. Antibes has a natural harbor that the Romans built into one of the best on the Mediterranean. Port Vauban is still here.
Most photos of Antibes in travel books show an impressive fort – Fort Carré . Fort Carré was built long after the ancient Romans had faded into the mist of history. The reason it was built might surprise you.
To be continued…
