Hello Monaco magazine Winter 2018 - issue HM02 | Page 97

MONACO NEIGHBOURHOOD
House of Savoy extended to other territories , including the city of Vaud . During the next few centuries , Eze repeatedly lived through a few disturbances . In the mid 16th century it changed ownership , passing from the French to the Turks . In 1706 , Louis XIV completely destroyed its fortress walls during the War for the Spanish heritage . Only in 1860 Eze officially became part of France by a unanimous decision of its inhabitants . As of today , the commune holds about 3.000 inhabitants . Although small , Eze has its own newspaper « Vues d ’ Eze ». It also holds cultural events , festivals , various religious holidays and the Harmony Festival . The medieval town still remembers one of its most extraordinary and famous inhabitants , the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche , who came to the south of France to cheer himself up . It was here , in 1885 , that Ni-
Eze — perched like a phoenix nest
Photo : depositphotos ( 4 )
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This place has been increasingly discovered by tourists in recent years , and is even being rediscovered by French people . The biggest fans of extreme sports and adventure climb to Eze up a steep winding path . Their perseverance , however , is well rewarded and surpasses all expectations . Travellers will be welcomed by the dizzying views of the Mediterranean and a town as picturesque as Walt Disney fairy tales . If Disney comes to mind while you are in Eze , this is not by chance . The famous cartoon maker enjoyed coming here and creating sketches for his future fairytale castles . But the history of Eze dates back to many centuries before .

History of Eze

The village owes its name to an ancient Egyptian goddess , Isis . It is in her name that the ancient Phoenicians who colonized these lands consecrated

their temple . Isis is one of the greatest goddesses of Antiquity , an Egyptian ideal of femininity and motherhood . She was a patron of all slaves and oppressed , but also listened to the prayers of the rich , the aristocrats and the rulers . Man first set foot on the territory of modern Eze in the 19-20th centuries B . C . In later times , this land was owned by the Romans and the Moors . It is believed that the town was mainly built under the reign of the Roman emperors Augustus and Flavius . The village is first mentioned in the 4th century records as « ab Avisione ». Over centuries its name took different forms of Esa , Eza , Isia , Isie . Once the territory passed under the control of the House of Savoy in 1388 , it acquired its modern name in the Provençal translation . By 1383 , Eze was controlled by the Savoy dynasty that secured the town with new fortifications . This precaution was justified by the proximity to the large city of Nice . At various instances of time the power of the
Our lady of assumption church
etzsche wrote the final part of his book « Thus Spoke Zarathustra ». The path that the great philosopher took daily down to the sea now bears his name ( Chemin de Nietzsche ). It is only accessible by foot ; the walk up will take you about an hour and a half . Travellers can leave their car at one of the two parking lots at the entrance to the town . One of them is free of charge , but is always very busy . Before venturing into the labyrinth of its narrow streets , visitors pass through the double 14th century fortress gates . This is the only entrance to the old city and the only part of the fortress that was preserved after the Louis XIV attack in the early 18th century . These picturesque streets will take you to the highest point of the town , where you ’ ll find another local landmark , an exotic garden built on the ruins of an ancient castle . Its main attraction is a 13-meter cactus , with a total weight of a ton . This giant
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