During the 10th century, the Château Grimaldi was built by a Count of Ventimiglia to protect the burgeoning community against the Saracens. The castle, which is one of France’s oldest existing battlements, still stands, as does the town’s famous olive tree. It was already more than 1,000 years old when the fortress was first erected, but is dwarfed in terms of history by the sabretooth tiger teeth and stone tools that were discovered in the town’s Vallonnet Cave. These date back one million years.Read more
Saint Tropez welcomed a new high-end art address to its main square this summer with the launch of the Fondation Linda & Guy Pieters in the Place des Lices. The inaugural exhibition is in homage to the work of celebrated artist Christo and his magnificent Mastaba project.
The French Riviera branch of Operation Christmas Child, an initiative started in 1990 by non-profit organisation Samaritan’s Purse, is calling on the support of Riviera Insider readers for its 2018 push. Since the project began, it has sent over 146 million shoeboxes filled with gifts to vulnerable and disadvantaged children in 150 countries around the world.
Residents of Beausoleil now have a quicker and easier way up the steep streets. Two new escalators were inaugurated on Friday evening.
Since 7 July, eleven cases of West Nile virus have been reported to the Alpes Maritimes regional health agency (ARS). These are worrisome numbers considering the virus is spread easily by mosquitos.
This summer, the Alpes-Maritimes experienced its second hottest heatwave since 1943, with a total of ten days spent under Alerte Canicule Orange – the 2nd highest heatwave alert by the government.
Nice painter and artist Sabine Géraudie (also called SAB), has decided to take action against people who sell unauthorized reproductions of her sculpture La Chaise Bleue de SAB. The chair, which stands on Nice’s famous Promenade des Anglais, represents one of the most famous art pieces of the city. 
Starting tomorrow and for the next three days, the 8th edition of the Braderie d’Antibes, a large market of local shops where you can get some of the most interesting end-of-season deals. Organised by the Association des Commerçants d’Antibes Coeur Azur, Antibes’ traders association, these three days are now becoming almost traditional, with thousands of people expected. 
As the end of the summer approaches, a recent report from Santé Publique France (SPF), France’s Public Health association, shows a considerable increase in the number of drownings for 2018, compared to 2015. Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is the second region in France for the number of drownings this year.
Following the enactment of the Loi NOTre (Nouvelle Organisation Territoriale de la République), in the summer of 2015, a whole raft of powers was decentralised from the French state and transferred to its départements.