Dear Friends,
There are three roads that are built into the mountainside that runs from Nice to Menton along the French Riviera. In this area, the mountains drop precipitously into the sea. The lowest corniche (Basse Corniche) runs very close to the sea in some places but in some places it moves back a ways from the sea and can be quite high. The top one (Grande Corniche) runs along the top of the mountains. The middle one (Moyenne Corniche) runs sort of in the middle of the other two. They are all rather incredible engineering feats. They are both dangerous and beautiful. Hence they have been used in many movies and have had many accidents over time. Think "To Catch a Thief", "Dirty Rotten Scoundrals" and several James Bond movies. Probably the most famous accident was the one in which Princess Grace died in 1982. You can learn more about Les Trois Corniches here.
We get to enjoy the view from the Basse Corniche often, mostly because it is closest to the sea. However for the most part, we prefer to walk right by the sea because the Basse Corniche can be very crowded with the cars and trucks driving very fast. If you are in a car, the driver needs to concentrate on driving and if you are walking, you need to pay attention to the cars. The other day, we were sort of forced to walk along the Basse Corniche between Beaulieu and Villefranche in an area where we can and usually do walk along the beach.
This picture was taken at a lower spot on the Basse Corniche. I include it because it has a nice view of the apartment that we usually rent when we are in Villefranche. It is circled in blue. Keep in mind, our apartment is 6 full stories above sea level.
Here is a commercially taken photo that is probably taken from the Moyenne Corniche. Our apartment is circled in this photo as well. Notice how much higher it is without going any significant distance inland. These hills are really steep.
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