You will be enchanted by the charm of this village laid out in the form of a draughtsboard, from the house ramparts to the flamboyant Place des Arcades (17th century). Amble through the lanes inhabited by the many artisans of the village and discover the refined decoration shops such as Collection Privée. In the Rue de la Fontaine there used to be the Musée de la Céramique et de la Barbotine, museum displaying kitsch creations made in Vallauris and collected with patience over the past forty years by a local painter, the affable Gil Camatte; you will be able to admire his creations in his workshop in number 7. The museum is to reopen in the summer of 2007 in the old centre of Vallauris and will be called the Musée Kitsch de la Céramique (Kitsch Ceramics Museum). At 11.30 am, you simply must not miss, “le Valbonnais”, when the village’s famous bread created by Christian Merle, baker from father to son for three generations, is taken out of the oven. But shush! Only give out this address advisedly, because Christian gets up at 2 am, opens at 6.30 am closes shop at 1 pm, and deserves his afternoon rest! When lunch times approaches, the terrace of the Jdeed Café, run by the vivacious Momo on the Place des Arcades, awaits you; you may also be tempted by a glass of wine with tapas at the Fontaine aux Vins, in the rue Grande. Good food is to be found everywhere in Valbonne, so the choice will not be easy: at the entrance to the village, you will find the cosy restaurant called Lou Cigalon run by Alain Parodi, fare from around the world at chez Adèle, the sunny Club at the Sophia Country Club or the traditional cuisine of Daniel Desavie (trained under Vergé)… Before leaving, fill up your basket with fruit and vegetables at Dumanois Primeurs and Italian specialities at Gastronomia Italiana, on the Place de la Vignasse. Lovers of wide open spaces will not be disappointed with 20 km of paths through pine and oak forest in the Valmasque Park which is an integral part of the Sophia Antipolis Science Park, home to 1,200 French and foreign companies. Between the land and the sea, a large number of golf courses such as the Opio Golf Course, the Victoria Golf Club, the Grasse Country Club and the Saint Philippe Golf Club will delight the most demanding golf players. Finally, to enjoy a stay that is just “like home”, follow the road to the medieval village of Tourrettes-sur-Loup: last May Sandrine Trouiller opened up a charming bed and breakfast, Histoires de Bastide, where you are bound to enjoy the quiet genuine atmosphere. So many reasons to come to stay more often in the region and why not even come to live here

For further information, please do not hesitate to call Anneliese Präg on 01233 667475 or email anneliese.prag@frenchpropertyshop.com.

REFERENCE FPS8129