Escapade Coaraze - Village of the sun

For this week’s excursion, we will be enjoying the hospitality of one of the most beautiful villages in France. The magnificent village of Coaraze, attractively named the Village of the Sun, is located in interior Nice country, high up in the Paillon valley.

The village has so many gems to see that we will be visiting it on foot. From its smaller to larger squares, it is a real pleasure to explore this sunlit village and its houses with rough stone left exposed or painted in bright colours. At the top of the village, stands a surprisingly austere looking church, but the real surprise is waiting within its walls, decorated in an incredible Baroque style.

Sundials

Coaraze is special in that it has had several artists create sundials especially for it. As you wander around the lanes of Coaraze, you will discover a total of eleven, variously coloured, sundials.


The town hall façade has no fewer than five sundials on it: Jean Cocteau’s is orange and has lizard motifs, the village emblem, on it. Gilbert Valentin created a blue one decorated with sunflowers, and Mona Cristie offered the village a beautiful blue sundial, adorned with a galloping horse on it, entitled "La Chevauchée du Temps".


Elsewhere in the village, you will find Blue Time, a sundial created by Ponce de Léon, an abstract work in various shades of blue that glows in the sunlight.

There are other sundials around the village, so look out for them! Coaraze is living proof that art can really take pride of place in a village.

A good restaurant

Whether for lunch, aperitifs, or just a snack, we are pleased to recommend the Au Fil des Saisons restaurant. Sophie is on hand to welcome you and offer reasonably priced, simple and inventive cooking (the most expensive dish is €20). The restaurant does not have a set menu, rather it changes daily according to reflect the chef’s creativity, ensuring that customers are constantly offered something new.