Villefranche sur mer - Fall 2025 - 5

 Dear Friends,

I took this picture rather haphazardly and didn't realize what it meant until I looked at it later.  

Villefranche has been a city of many things in its centuries long history.  Much of its history revolves around the fact that the bay of Villefrance (the "Rade") is the, or at least one of the, only deep water well protected bays on the northern shore of the Mediterranean Sea.  

For many years it was known as a fishing village with many families depending on the sea and the fish in it for their livelihoods.  I do not know the exact number of families, but people here talk about more than 25 to 30 in the not too distant past.  Today there are one or two fisherman who you can see going out each day.  There may be others but you only see one or two boats at a time in the Rade.  If they have fish that have not been promised to restaurants and retail outlets, you can buy them at the quay.

Now you will see more paddle boards, motorized hydroplanes and even super yachts on the bay than fishing boats and the economy of the town is now very dependent on tourism.  Unfortunately much of the old town life has changed even in the 11 years that we have been coming here.  There used to be two full time boulangeries, a green grocer and a butcher in the old town.  Now there is a full time boulangerie that is struggling and only really offers bread when it is open.  The green grocer is gone.  The butcher will probably be gone when Pascal retires.  Even now, if he takes time off, the shop is closed.  If you don't know the various schedules, you can find yourself in the old town without any place to buy a loaf of bread or a bottle of wine.

The smart mayors of towns like this understand that the old town is what keeps the tourists coming and the charm and character of the old town needs to be protected if the tourism economy is to continue.  This year is an election year for mayors all over France.  The current mayor of Villefranche is facing a real challenge.  His primary challenger understands Villefranche and what it needs to succeed which balances the needs of the people who live here and the needs of the old town which supports the economy.  It is a difficult balancing act.  The current mayor doesn't seem to understand the competing dynamics so we are hoping his challenger will win so at least there is a chance of preserving both the old town and a wonderful city for the people who live here.

Thanks for reading and please comment,

The Unabashed Liberal