French Riviera

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The names of the main towns are equally famous

St. Tropez and the Southwest Coast

Cannes

Nice and Monte-Carlo Coast

Monaco and Monte-Carlo

One reason for going to the Cote d'Azur is simply to gratify curiosity about a coastline whose name is shorthand for luxury and glamour, for film stars and singers, for politicians and millionaires.

The solid wealth is amazing, the elegance is considerable, the echoes of a gorgeous past endure into a more hectic present. One visible reminder is the presence of great hotels from the end of the century and the start of this.

At the same time, the area has an immense number of other points of interest and attraction; they range from a rugged hinterland or arriere-pays, whose high hill villages were fortified positions, to some of the most evocative, beautiful and challenging of late 19th century works of art. The landscapes are often stunning, the sense of southernness' delightful.

There is the gambling of MonteCarlo and many other resorts; now also equipped with casinos. Yet the Riviera is an open place as well. Those who are young or not well-off can also take a share - not quite, perhaps, at the centre of events, but near enough to get a smell of them and understand something of the meaning of the word "Riviera".