One day in Vieil Antibes

The day

1. 1Marché ProvençalThe covered market of the Cours Masséna – the old «Place Vieille», renamed in 1860 – has fed the town since farmers came to sell here at the start of the nineteenth century; its metal hall dates from 1928.
2. 2Antibes Cathedral (Notre-Dame-de-l’Immaculée-Conception)Antibes was a bishopric from the fifth century until 1244, and its former cathedral – also called Notre-Dame-de-la-Platea – is still the largest church in town.60 m from the last stop, as the crow flies
3. 3Tour Grimaldi (the Saracen tower)The square tower beside the cathedral – the «Saracen tower» of the old town’s walks – is listed with the church and the Chapelle Saint-Esprit as one historic monument.10 m from the last stop, as the crow flies
4. 4Musée PicassoThe Château Grimaldi stands where the acropolis of Greek Antipolis stood, above the sea wall.50 m from the last stop, as the crow flies
5. 5Le VaubanA restaurant of French cooking in a busy street of the old town, the Rue Thuret, cooked with the seasons.200 m from the last stop, as the crow flies
6. 6Place NationaleThe old town’s main square.90 m from the last stop, as the crow flies
7. 7Musée Peynet et du Dessin humoristiqueRaymond Peynet drew his famous «Amoureux» in 1943 and settled in Antibes in 1976; the museum on the Place Nationale opened in 1989 with nearly 300 works he gave the town.30 m from the last stop, as the crow flies
8. 8Lavoir de la TourraqueOf the three wash houses Antibes once had, only this one, on the Rue de la Tourraque at the edge of the Safranier, remains; women came here to do the «bugade», the laundry.190 m from the last stop, as the crow flies
9. 9Chapelle Saint-BernardinThe chapel of the White Penitents of Saint Bernardine stands on Roman foundations; local historians date it to 1513 or 1581, and its walnut side door carries the date 20 March 1581.310 m from the last stop, as the crow flies
10. 10Musée d’ArchéologieAntibes’s archaeology museum sits in the Bastion Saint-André, built in 1698 on Vauban’s plans at the southern tip of the town walls; its two brick-vaulted galleries were the garrison’s refectory.510 m from the last stop, as the crow flies
11. 11Plage de la GravetteA small sandy beach tucked inside the harbour, at the foot of the ramparts, sheltered from the wind and the swell.650 m from the last stop, as the crow flies
12. 12Port VaubanA natural harbour since antiquity in the Anse Saint-Roch, it was given a first dyke in the sixteenth century, a jetty in 1648 and Vauban’s works from the 1680s.450 m from the last stop, as the crow flies
13. 13Nomade, by Jaume PlensaAn eight-metre figure made of steel letters, open to the sky, on the point of the Bastion Saint-Jaume at the end of the port.260 m from the last stop, as the crow flies

Distances are straight lines between the stops; the walk is longer in the lanes. Every stop has its own page with opening notes and sources.

Sources