Villefranche-sur-Mer is immediately to the east of the city ofNice, along Mont Boron, Mont Alban and Mont Vinaigrier, and 6.2 mi (10 km) southwest ofMonaco. The bay (rade) of Villefranche is one of the deepest natural harbours of any port in theMediterranean Sea and provides safe anchorage for large ships from easterly winds. Reaching depths of 320 feet (98 m) between the Cape of Nice andCap Ferrat, it extends to the south to form a 1,700-foot (518 m) abyss known as the undersea Canyon of Villefranche about 1nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) off the coastline. The Bay is the place where theUnited States Sixth Fleet moors when cruising the Mediterranean coast.
The city limits extend to the hills surrounding the bay climbing from sea level to an altitude of 1,893 feet (577 m), the highest point of Mont-Leuze, reflecting on land the features found offshore. The Basse Corniche runs through Vlllefranche with the Moyenne Corniche above and the Haute Corniche above that entering the farthest reach to the west of the Alpes-Maritimes.
The site of what is now Villefranche and surroundingBeaulieu-sur-Mer andSaint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat has been settled since prehistoric times.Celto-ligurian tribes roamed the area and established farming communities on the surrounding hills. TheGreeks and later theRomans used the natural harbour as a stop-over en route to the Greek settlements around the WesternMediterranean. After the conquest ofGaul byJulius Caesar, the Romans built an extension of theVia Aurelia (Aurelian Way), which passed through the settlement of Montolivo.
By the fall of theCarolingian Empire, the area was part ofLotharingia and later part of the County ofProvence. In 1295,Charles II,Duke of Anjou, then Count of Provence, enticed the inhabitants of Montolivo and surroundings to settle closer to the coastline in order to secure the area frompirates. By charter, he established Villefranche as a "free port",thus the name, granting tax privileges and port fee rights that lasted well into the 18th century.[4]
In 1543, theFranco-Turkish armies sacked and occupied the city after the siege of Nice, prompting DukeEmmanuel Philibert to secure the site by building an impressivecitadel and a fort on nearby Mont Alban. In the late 17th century, the area fell to the French but was returned to Savoy after thePeace of Utrecht.[5]
The site was also the winter residence forroyalty andwealthy visitors.
Villefranche's bay is notable for reaching a significant depth only a short distance from shore. As a result, it has become an important port over the years. SinceWorld War I, theUnited States Navy has called on a regular basis, making Villefranche the home port of theU.S. 6th Fleet from 1948 to February 1966, when French PresidentCharles de Gaulle withdrew France fromNATO and required U.S. forces to leave. Just prior to 1966, theflagship of the Commander Sixth Fleet rotated betweenUSS Springfield andUSS Little Rock.[6] Since the 1980s Villefranche has been used bycruise ships. It is the most visited cruise ship port of call in France.[5]
Villefranche is now part of theUrban community of Nice Côte d'Azur and so can be considered a suburb of the Nice metropolitan area. The decrease in population in recent years and especially in the 1990s can be attributed to the cost of real estate and an increase of part-time residents, who typically are not counted in the census. But Villefranche's aging population, like elsewhere in the eastern part of the Alpes-Maritimes, is not being replaced by younger people at the same rate as in the rest of the département.[7]
The main activity remains tourism, with hotels and restaurants employing a sizeable portion of the population. Traditional activities, like fishing, have now given way to sea-related activities, such as sailing and deep sea diving. Some dockyard activity remains at the harbour of “la Darse” but most of it has now been moved toAntibes.Residential construction and maintenance, which provided a lot of employment in the mid 20th century, has now subsided considerably.
Église Saint-Michel (Saint Michael's Church) in the heart of old town, was built in the 1750s in thebaroqueItalian-style where originally stood a more modest early fourteenth century church. It houses various works of art, notably a largeSaint Michael painting above the marble main altar, a recumbent sculptureChrist (18th century) known as the "Christ of the Galleys" and a polychrome wooden statue ofSan Rocco. The organ built by theGrinda Brothers in 1790 is one of the oldest of the County of Nice still in operation. The building was included in the French Historic Sites Registry in 1990.[9]
TheChapelle Saint-Pierre (Saint Peter's Chapel) dates from the sixteenth century. Used as a storeroom for local fishermen's nets and equipment for most of the 19th and early part of the 20th century, it was restored in 1957 withJean Cocteau adding his now-famous murals depicting the life of the saint and of local fishermen. The building was included in the French Historic Sites Registry in 1995.[9]
The Figures, Delta Book of Gabriel Méxène, page 11/12.
The Figures, Delta Book ofGabriel Méxène, 2015 (Eight engraved, gilded and painted stones) Collections of the citadel museums. The Delta Book, known as the "Dragon Book of Piedmont-Savoy", contains 1400 Roman capital letters engraved by hand on Tavel marble.[10]
The Citadel built in 1557 now houses the Town Hall, a convention centre, three museums and an open-air theatre.[9]
TheRue Obscure [fr] or “Dark Street” is a passageway under the harbour front houses which dates back to 1260.
TheVilla Léopolda on the hills surrounding was once the residence of KingLeopold II of Belgium and has been tagged as “the most expensive house in the world”..
Plage des Marinières is the main beach and is located at the north end of the bay. It stretches for 700 m (0.43 mi) under the track of the railway line linking Nice to Italy.
Plage de la Darse is a smaller pebble beach located behind the main jetty of the harbour of La Darse.
^Oz, Frank (14 December 1988),Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Comedy, Crime), Steve Martin, Michael Caine, Glenne Headly, Anton Rodgers, Orion Pictures, retrieved13 January 2021
_p067_VILLA_FRANCA_HARBOUR.jpg)
![View on the old harbour of Darse de Villefranche-sur-Mer [fr]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aDarse_de_Villefranche_._Pointus%2c_voutes%2c_corderie.JPG)
.jpg)
