Medieval vestiges

The climate of the Riviera has attracted people from all over France for many decades. The mild winters (50-60s) on the coast and the warm summers (90s) make it a popular location all year round, yet surprisingly enough, a ski resort is located just 45 minutes north of Bar in Gréolières. Spring and fall are particularly delightful, with the early spring bursting into an orgy of yellow mimosas on the hillsides in late January and the languishing Indian summer days in October and November announcing a belated goodbye to summer.

Bar itself hosts a number of interesting activities. A walking tour of the village is indispensable not only to familiarize the visitor, but to understand the history of the town and the region. Founded in the 10th century, the villagers created a wall to surround it to protect it from the advancing Saracens; a few of these original walls remain. The chateau dates from the 15th century and was recently converted into a modern hotel with 6 rooms and an elegant restaurant. The recently renovated St-Jacques church dates from the end of the 15th century, although it was expanded during the 17th and 18th centuries; in the 19th century the bell tower was installed. Its most precious possession, in addition to its handsome antique furnishings, is the famous 15th c. retable (painting) attributed to Louis Bréa of the “Danse macabre”. This painting on wood represents various personages whose heads are filled with diabolical ideas involved in a dizzying dance until they fall upon the arrows of death.

Breathtaking drives down the coast

Other sites in town include the 19th century communal washing basin for women doing their laundry which is preserved at the Place de la Fontaine; the cemetery, a picturesque arrangement of mausoleums and graves amongst flowers and trees; the medieval bridge, still in use today; the many areas in which the Loup river crosses the town and forms lovely areas in which to picnic. It is possible to hike to Gordon right from the house by taking the well-marked “red” trail—stunning vistas of the Mediterranean from Nice to Théole, and even to Corsica on a fine day. The Chemin du Paradis (the GR 51) stretches all across the Plateau de Caussols here for the die-hard hikers who can pick it up in Pont du Loup and even further east from Nice.

When you get ready for dinner, you’ll have quite a choice, all within a 5-minute walk:
• La Jarrerie, excellent family-owned very popular regional restaurant
• Hostelerie du Bar-sur-Loup, recently opened in the chateau with two different restaurants to choose from
• L’Ecole des Filles, easy fare, several specialities
• Pizzeria Michelangelo, great pasta and pizza
• For gastronomic dinners, try La Bastide St-Antoine in Grasse or Le Moulin de Mougins in Mougins

Walking about town

One km away in languid Pont-du-Loup is the candy factory, the Confiserie Florian, which still makes hand-made chocolates and other specialties from local products using the same recipe passed down from their ancestors. The factory offers a unique visit and a chance to buy your friends and relatives some unusual gifts, such as rose petal jam and chocolate-covered orange peel. In Tourrettes sur Loup, 4 kms down the road, one can spend the entire day at the many boutiques and restaurants in the town. In the other direction lies Grasse, home of the perfume industry, which hosts a daily marché of fresh vegetables and flowers on the Place aux Aires, three marvelous perfume factories (Fragonard, Gallimard, Molinard), a Beaux-Arts museum, several arts festivals, a 13th century cathedral, winding pedestrian streets which meander their way through the town and many tree-lined squares for relaxing and having a meal or a drink.

It is quite feasible, in fact, quite delightful to travel around the area in the off season months as well as in the summer months. The rugged coastal drive between Nice and St-Raphael is nothing short of magnificent: each turn in the road brings another gasp of wonder. St-Raphael and St-Tropez, easily within a day’s drive, boast many state-of-the-art restaurants and culinary delights, as well as boutiques, markets, museums, and picturesque ports to wander through. Driving in the other direction into the heartland of Provence one can visit the extraordinary Gorges du Verdon, called the Grand Canyon of Europe, where the sheer limestone cliffs allow vast panoramas of breathtaking photo shoots. Afterwards a visit to the village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, known for its particularly sought-after porcelain and painted ceramics, is a delightful respite from the dizzying beauty of the canyon. For other unusual visits, one can travel by steam-train on the well-preserved train des pignes from Nice to Entrevaux and even further on to Dignes-les-Bains, or take the spectacular one-track train straight north from Nice to Tende (formerly in Italy) and visit the out-of-the-way villages of the Roya Valley.