Day 1875 (Wednesday) 27th July 2022

It was hot again but there was a lovely breeze making it a lot more comfortable. 

Huw found this article online…

The extravagant yacht rented by David and Victoria Beckham during their holidays on the French Riviera.
For their holidays in Saint-Tropez and on the Côte d'Azur, the Beckham couple rented the Madsummer, a huge yacht 95 meters long.  Rental amount?  1.6 million euros.

The Beckham couple paid 1.6 million euros to rent the Madsummer for a week.  

 Burning karaoke in a bar in Saint-Tropez, jet ski outing, family reunion... David and Victoria Beckham are making the most of their holidays on the Côte d'Azur.
 And for their stay on the shores of the Mediterranean, the star couple saw things big.  They rented a huge yacht, the Madsummer, to welcome their children, their friends and in particular the American model Gigi Hadid.
 95 metres long, this yacht has been "tailor-made for world-class luxury charter, offering a multitude of spacious living spaces and fabulous equipment", specifies the charter company on its website.
Games rooms for children, dance floor, cinema room, gym, sauna, spa, 12 metre swimming pool, beach on the rear pontoon, helicopter landing pad... it can accommodate up to 12  guests and operates with 28 crew members. Talk about more money than sense!

Huw decided that we should wait until we have Kisbee serviced in a couple of weeks before taking her to Roquebrun Cap Martin  because it’s quite far and very high up so we decided to go to La Turbie instead. I found this information online and when we got there we had a coffee in the square to read it all. We bought some lunch in a boulangerie, Huw had a club poulet and I bought a quiche Lorraine. I could look at these gorgeous looking cakes all day.

15+ Things You Absolutely Must See and Do In La Turbie written by Dayna from Happily Ever Travels!

La Turbie has so much to do. There are Roman ruins, incredible viewpoints you can’t find anywhere else, adorable restaurants, and historic sites all over the town. Here is a list of things you shouldn’t miss on your trip to La Turbie!

I’ve also put these in order so that you can use them as a walking itinerary as you visit the village.

1. Viewpoint from Afar

If you’re coming from Nice, get off one bus-stop early to get a better view of La Turbie from the front!

2. The Restaurants and Shops of La Turbie

As you first walk into La Turbie, you will see a bunch of beautiful buildings clumped together that make up most of the restaurants in this town. It’s a great place to stop and grab something to eat as well as take gorgeous photos.

3. The most beautiful pizza place: La Regence Pizzeria

On our way to Peille and Peillon, we’ve passed by this pizzeria multiple times and I couldn’t wait to visit. We didn’t end up eating there (although I plan to go back.) but the outside of this restaurant is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen! We couldn’t see what the attraction was here – it looks just like any other pizzeria

Our first stop was the Roman ruins where we found a bench in the shade and ate our lunch.

We walked around the base of it and it was really impressive

  

We climbed up to the viewing platform, which wasn’t as difficult as it looked but it was very

hot.

 

4. The Roman Ruins: Trophee d’Auguste

Looming over La Turbie, you can see the reconstructed Roman ruins of the Trohpee d’Auguste. You absolutely cannot miss a visit to this incredible structure while in La Turbie. It only costs 6 euro per person to enter.

The opening hours vary depending on the season and there are also a few different entrances, although some may be closed depending on the time of year that you visit.

The Trophy of Augustus was originally built in 6 BC to commemorate the victory of the Romans over the Alpine tribes the “Gauls.”

It was built for Octavius, who was Caesar’s nephew and would become the future Emperor Augustus of Rome. It used to stand at 50m high, with a statue of Augustus at the top.

However, over time the town mined the monument to build houses in the village and it was destroyed.

Eventually, a father and son worked to restore it to what it is today thanks to an American donor. Now, it stands 36 metres tall.

Don’t miss a visit to the museum that is included in the ticket to the Trophy, which shows how they went about the restoration of the monument and has a small model of what the Trophy of Augustus used to look like.

Also, make sure you head up the steps to the top of the ruins. It gives you a beautiful view over the coast and the town of La Turbie.

5. Visit The Church: Eglise Saint-Michel de La Turbie

The best place to see l’Eglise Saint-Michel de la Turbie is from the top of the Roman ruins. The church is unique from others in the area for the small tile details on the top and sides of the church.

6. Historic Centre of La Turbie

La Turbie is a village full of history, so there is a lot within the town that you’ll want to make sure that you don’t miss.

7. Via Julia

The Via Julia was the ancient way to Rome that was built after the Romans conquered the Alpine Gauls. This was considered the pathway to the Alps from Rome and was a big victory for the Romans.

8. Dante’s Quote from the Purgatory

La Turbie’s first literary mention just happened to be in the second part of Dante’s Divine Comedy: The Purgatory. (we didn’t look for this)

Of course, La Turbie wanted to showcase that by engraving it into a wall on their city.

9. Ancient Portals to the City 

From each side of the small historic centre of La Turbie, you pass through the original medieval “portes” to the city. Keep your eyes peeled for the beautiful entrances and signs next to them.

10. The Cemetery (we didn’t go here – we can do that on our next visit.)

The cemetery above La Turbie has beautiful views of the Roman ruins below. It also had a few grave sites that were dedicated to people who had been deported to Auschwitz.

Remember to be respectful when visiting this area and refrain from taking a lot of pictures.

11. Viewpoint Above the Cemetery

At the top of the cemetery, you can pass through a gate that takes you to a dirt road. If you go to the left you can peek down into Monaco.

12. Wander the town

La Turbie has a lot more to do than most hilltop villages, but you still should just get lost in the streets. 

13. Place Neuve, Restaurant and Viewpoint over tennis courts

This area, which is right next to the restaurant Brasserie Pampérigouste, you can get incredible views of the Trophy of Augustus. There is also a viewpoint to the right of the restaurant of the coast.

14. Tete de Chien: Viewpoint over Monaco

Easily one of the most beautiful viewpoints I’ve ever been to, you CANNOT miss La Tete de Chien! It’s a short, easy walk from the centre of La Turbie.

Only slightly uphill and took about 30 minutes each way, but you are rewarded with the BEST, most unbelievable views of Monaco that you’ll ever see. We didn’t bother going here because whatever angle you view Monaco from it is hideously ugly.

15. The Viewpoint Above La Turbie

This one really shows La Turbie well and is only a short walk from the centre of town.

Only a 3-minute walk, you can get to this viewpoint just above the Gendarmerie of La Turbie.

16. Higher Viewpoint Above La Turbie

If you want to go a bit higher, there is a dirt path right above the previous viewpoint. You can go up that for only another few minutes to get to the viewpoint.

This viewpoint is a bit more steep and on dirt, but definitely worth it if you’re up for it.

We have been on all three corniches (roads) many time, the Basse Corniche (lower road) the Moyenne Corniche (the middle road) and the Grande Corniche (the top road) but we have never found the place where Princess Grace of Monaco died in a car accident.  This morning Huw did some research so we rather ghoulishly went to find it. She died in 1982 and I happened to be in the area a few months later. This was my first visit to the Cote d’Azur aged 18 and I fell instantly in love – as you know. I went with my neighbour Paul who was a few years older than me and doing a degree in French. He was very lucky and won a placement in Toulon University for a year so he knew the area well. We stayed in one of Paul’s fellow students in Toulon and she allowed us to use her car. 

 

This was the first time I saw Villefranche from the Basse Corniche. Paul wanted to see the car crash site and he found it easily enough. This wall wasn’t there then and you could see the tyre skid marks where she’d gone off – I thought it was quite unsuitable to look at it but I was the guest/visitor.

 

For a change today I’m not using other people’s cats, it’s all Badger because he’s been so entertaining.

Last night I was soaking my  feet and he was absolutely fascinated, especially when we put one of his bouncy balls in it.

This morning he managed to open my wardrobe door and decided to empty it to make room for him to lie down.

Then Huw had a delivery in a very small box but Badger was determined to get inside.