SYLVIANE NUCCIO

Èze and Nyons Two Beautiful Medieval Villages You Must Go See!

July 6, 2012 European Cities

According to the comments that I’ve gotten since the beginning of this series, I know that you guys have enjoyed my summer French cities and towns series, with posts about Cannes, Annecy and the Loire Chateaux so far. Today I wanted to introduce you to two charming medieval villages of the south of France which are Èze and Nyons.  I hope you will enjoy this post that is going to take you to both those beautiful villages with fact, photos and videos.

Èze

An Old and Gorgeous Village Right Outside of Nice

Èze is a very old village dating from 2000 BC, yes, that makes it old doesn’t it? 

Èze is located in the Alpes Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, just a few miles from Nice.

 

On Top of a Mountain Above the Sea

Èze is located on the top of a small mountain over looking the Mediterranean see.  There is actually a path that goes from the edge of the sea to the top hill village.  Depending which way you are going it’s going to be a stiff hill or a stiff descent, which ever way you prefer.  During your visit of Èze, don’t miss the beautiful exotic garden with gigantic cactus and other exotic plants planted around the ruins of an old castle.

Every time I found myself  in the Côte d’Azur (French Riviera) I have gone to Èze, because me and my family always enjoyed ancient villages.  When you’re there it’s like you feel that those places have a “soul” of their own.  Can’t explain it, it’s just something you feel when you’re there.

The main revenue of the village of Èze comes from tourism.  At any given time in the summer, tourists probably out number the number the residents in Èze.  If you watch the video below you’ll see lots of tourists and little cute boutiques.

Walk the street of Eze with that American gent who’s pretty much amazed!

 

Nyons

The Olive Tree Village

Nyons is a bit larger than Èze and it is located in the Drôme department in the Rhône Alpes region. Nyons originality is that it was built in what we call a “bucket” because it’s in a valley surrounded by medium size mountains which each have a name, Essaillon, Garde-Grosse, Saint Jaumes and Vaux.  The village of Nyons is also seated at the edge of a small river called the Eygues River (La rivière Eygues).  Nyons was built in the  6th century which makes it a very old village with an incredible charm that only old places have.

Nyons Producer of Olive Oil

Because of its location, Nyons enjoys a micro-climate that is perfect for olive trees.  This is why rustic olive trees thrive in Nyons  which is a huge producer of classified “Appellation d’Orgine Contrôlée” olive oil.  I remember when we went to Nyons my mother would pack the trunk of the car with the best olive oil I’ve ever tasted.  I think that this is probably the reason why I am an olive oil craze.

 

Markets

Every Thursday, the village hosts a huge outdoor market which occupies 3 squares (place Bourdongle, place Buffaven, and place de la libération).  Every Sunday from mid-May to late September there is a “provençal” market which specializes on local products.  Those markets are must see event when you go to Nyons (just don’t expect to find much English speakers there).

Also, if you go to Nyons, go visit some olive oil (huile d’0live) producers where  you can purchase and taste one of the best olive oil in the world.  If  you like olive oil, well, you will Love that one!

Come and take a quick tour of Nyons. Lot of memories for me!

 
 I hope you enjoyed this trip to Èze and Nyons. Let me know what you think in the comment area.

15 thoughts on “Èze and Nyons Two Beautiful Medieval Villages You Must Go See!”

  1. Hi Sylviane,

    how beautiful. It amazes me that you come up with new places in France every week I haven’t been to yet, although I know Nyons for its delicious olive oil.

    More than 12 years, I saw a poster in a shop in l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue with an olive tree and the poster said:”L’olivier, le don de la méditérranée.” This gave me a chuckle because it reminded me of my name 😉

    This must be the reason why I love olive oil, also that from Nyons.

    Thanks for inspiring us again !

    Have a great weekend ahead

    Oliver

    P.S.: For our non-French-speaking friends, the poster said:”The olive tree, the gift of the Mediterranean

  2. Hi Oliver,

    Definitely your name is a reminder of the word “Olive”. And what’s more is that the masculin name “Olivier” in French spells and sounds exactly like the tree!

    Now, what do you mean about me coming up with new places in France every week that you don’t know? 🙂 I am from France, dear, as you know 🙂 and this means that I’ve spent many years going around in my country. Now, you know way more about France than I know about Germany (never been there 🙁 so I think that you are doing pretty well on that one.

    Thanks for your visit and feedbacks, Oliver.

  3. Hey Sylviane,

    Wow, what quaint little villages. I love the stone on the architecture in Èze. I have to agree with the guy in the video, it’s an extraordinary place. The walkways are so narrow and of course I’ve never been to anyplace like that before. The view is gorgeous, what an amazing adventure I bet he’s one.

    Nyons is beautiful too in a different way. I’d be screwed if they didn’t speak any English. Guess that means I’d have to take you with me. Since you have such fond memories of there then you would love that.

    Wow, thanks for sharing these amazing villages with us Sylviane. I love looking at theses. Awesome.

    ~Adrienne
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    1. Hi Adrienne,

      I am so glad you enjoyed those villages. Those are two villages that, indeed, bring about lots of nice memory. Wouldn’t it be fun if I could take you there?

      Yes, those are the kind of places you won’t find much people speaking English, just maybe young folks speaking “school English”. A friend of mine just came back from a trip in Europe and had to admit that I was right, except for a couple of people in Paris he couldn’t find anyone who spoke English or Spanish (the languages that he speaks) in France. He told me that in Italy he managed pretty well with his Spanish, but of course that didn’t work in France.

      Americans think that every European speaks two or three languages, but that is not true, most people don’t and only a few do, but that’s true anywhere right?

      Thanks for coming, Adrienne and have a great week end!

  4. Ah! What a village.. Just like my dream. I wish I could be there in future. Amazing place.. Thanks for sharing such a peaceful article with us.

    Regards,
    Amrik

    1. Hi Amrik,

      Thanks for coming to my traveling blog. I’m glad you enjoyed the visit!

  5. Oooh, i’ve actually been there. we stopped at Gare Eze sur mer. We didn’t see the town but just went and hung out on the water. The kids were antsy to get into the water.
    I just love that area. The sand is so much nicer than the sand in NICE which is essentially all rocks. Blah, hurts my feet.
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    1. Hi Annie,

      Yes, that’s the problem with Nice, isn’t it? No sand beach, but rocks, and it really hurts. I had to laugh when you said that because I remember that all too well 🙂

      Every where else that I can remember, on the Côte d’Azur is sand. What a relief.

      Thanks for your visit, Annie 🙂

    1. Hi Patrica,

      Wow, too bad you couldn’t go, you would have loved it. I kind of agree with your pen pal, Nyons could be compare to the Tuscany of the Rhône Alpes. I hope that you can go and visit Nyons and other beauties of the area in the future.

      Thanks for coming by 🙂

    1. Hi and welcome Sofia,

      Yes, you should. I am sure that you would love it!

      Thanks for coming.

  8. I love going to older communities and villages when I am traveling. It just the getaway that we need sometime to just unplug from the hectic nature of our busy lives. Thanks for sharing these two wonderful places.

    1. Thanks for visiting Clint.

      Don’t you love those old places. I know I do because they are so special and there is a certain feeling about them. Very special, indeed!

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