Why Visit
It offers breathtaking views. The medieval port with the red roofs is definitely worth a visit. It has vaulted passages and cobblestone streets.
History
The area that is now Villefranche-sur-Mer has been settled since prehistoric times. Celtic tribes were the first settlers. They ruled the area until it was conquered by Julius Caesar along with the rest of Gaul and added to the Roman Republic. The Romans improved its infrastructure with the building of the Via Aurelia which passed through the main settlement of Montolivo.
With the fall of the Roman Empire the area came under the rule of barbarian tribes until it was finally annexed by the Carolingian Empire. When the Carolingian state also fractured is became a part of Lotharingia and later of the County of Provence. In 1295, Duke Charles II of Anjou, who was also the Count of Provence at the time, ordered the inhabitants to move closer to the coast in order to secure it from pirate raids. By decree he established Villefranche as a free port, granting it tax privileges and fee rights that lasted until the 18th century.
Villefranche became part of the Duchy of Savoy by 1388 and for the next four centuries it was part of the County of Nice, which was part of Savoy. The area was continuously contested by the French and the Holy Roman Empire of which Savoy was a member.
In 1543 as part of the Franco-Turkish alliance, a joint Franco-Turkish army occupied and sacked the city after it had besieged Nice. As a result Duke Emmanuel Philibert constructed a citadel and a fort on Mont Alban, located nearby. The site continued to be contested between the French and the Italians. By the 18th century a new harbour built in Nice caused the city to lose its maritime importance but it remained a military base. It became part of the Napoleonic Empire until 1814. When Napoleon was finally defeated the area was returned to the Kingdom of Sardinia by the Congress of Vienna. It was again given to France for the final time by Conte di Cavour as compensation to the latter’s involvement and help during the Wars of Italian Unification. By the 19th century the site had become a winter residence for wealthy visitors and royalty. In the modern era, Villefranche has served as the home port of the United States Sixth Fleet from 1948 to 1966 and since the 1980s it has been frequently used by cruise ships.
Museums - Archeological
The Citadel built in 1557 now houses apart from the Town Hall three museums with important documents, photographs and other exhibitions. The Villa Leopolda was built by King Leopold II of Belgium and is often referred to as the most expensive house in the world. Also of note is the Rue Obscure (French for “Dark Street”) which is a passage way under the harbour front houses. It dates back to 1260. The “la Darse” is the old harbour and was built in the 17th century by the Duke of Savoy. Its buildings and structures are part of the French Historic Sites.
Beaches
There are two beaches of note. The Plage des Mariniers is the main beach and is located at the north end of the bay. It stretches for 1 km under the track of the railway line linking Nice to Italy. The second is the Plage de la Darse is a smaller pebble beach located behind the main jetty of the harbour of La Darse. Both of the beaches are public.
Religious Monasteries and Churches
The Saint Michael’s Church (Église Saint-Michel) is in the centre of the old town. It was built in the 1750s and is a typical baroque Italian-style church. It holds various art works, amongst them a large painting of Saint Michael and an 18th century sculpture of Jesus Christ known as the “Christ of the Galleys”. The Organ inside the church was built in the 1790 and it is still in operation.
The Saint Peter’s Chapel (Chapelle Saint-Pierre) was built in the 16th century. For most of the 19th century and an early part of the 20th it was used by local fishermen as a storage room for their equipment and nets. It was restored in 1957.
