On a hill midway between Antibes and Nice, about 7 miles from either, is the old village of Cagnes, forming a very picturesque feature of the landscape.

Crowning the summit of the hill is a Castle (open daily), built in the early years of the fourteenth century by the Grimaldi who was then proprietor of Monaco, and who had been given the lordship of Cagnes by the King of Naples. More than once it has been restored and the interior modified.

There is a staircase, a balustrade of marble, a beautiful mantelpiece, and on the walls and ceiling of the large drawing-room are paintings representing the history of Phaeton that on the ceiling shows him being precipitated to earth.

It is signed by Carlone (d. 1677).

The ancient chapel has been converted into a museum.

The view from the summit of the tower is magnificent, as indeed is that from the terrace adjoining the Castle. Rue Carnot passes through the base of the church tower to Place Grimaldi, with buildings supported on arches, a double flight of steps concluding the ascent.

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The answer to the first part of this question depends upon the proposed length of the visit.

To those who can take a winter holiday, any time between October and May is a suitable time, and a stay throughout the whole of that period would provide a wonderful escape from the rigours of the English autumn and winter.

But for those who have limited time and in view of the much colder days of England’s winter, it is much better to face the cold before than after the home-coming.

Prudence, however, dictates that one should, if possible, avoid returning from the warmth of the South to the chilly air of England in early Spring.

Where should one alight in the delectable land?

This also is a question to which a brief direct answer cannot be given.

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WHAT and where is the Riviera?

It is the sunniest, warmest and driest district on the Continent of Europe. It lies along the northern shore of the Mediterranean.

It has no defined limits, but is generally understood to extend from Hyères, some sixty miles eastward of Marseilles, to the neighbourhood of distant Leghorn (or Livorno), so that it is partly in France and partly in Italy.

The inland boundary is fixed by the highlands of the hinterland, for the climate which makes the Riveria is the offspring of sheltered, sunny lowlands, and as the high ground is nowhere far from the sea, the Riviera is but a narrow strip.

A Playground of the World

There was a time when the Riviera was regarded chiefly as a health resort, visited almost solely by those suffering from bronchial or pulmonary troubles and able to flee from the rigours of an English winter. Reports of the beauty of the country, the charm of the climate, and the cheapness of living drew to the favoured region many who had not the excuse of sickness for their visit.

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