Nice is Very Nice!

• The weather has been almost perfect! We had a couple days of rain last week and today it is pretty warm. Other than that, everyday has been sunny and in the mid/upper 70's. Here is what the past week looked like... Not too shabby :-)

• Once inhabited by Celts, Biot was conquered by the Roman legion two thousand years ago, which remained there for about five hundred years. 
• In 1209 it was a village of Knights Templar who were replaced in 1312 by the Knights of Malta.
• From 12th to 14th century, remarkable result of original charters from the archives of the Temple, gives us a perfect idea of the "castrum" and the village of Biot. In 1209, the Count Alfonso II of Provence gives to the "Order of the Temple" all his possessions in Biot. The Knights Templar then buy the best land in the country, and founded the castrum, a place that soon will become one of the most important religious institutions of the entire region and a place of pilgrimage due to numerous relics from Jerusalem.
• In 1387 the town was destroyed by war. In 1470 Biot was repopulated with 50 families emigrated from western Liguria, which became the majority of the population. 
• Today Biot is known for their pottery & glassworks, especially "bubble glass".

• Eze is a medieval village perched on a narrow rocky peak overlooking the Mediterranean sea (almost 2,000ft above the sea)
• The area surrounding Eze was first populated around 2000 BC. The earliest occurrence of the name "Èze" can be found in the maritime books of Antonin as a bay called 'St. Laurent of Èze.' A hoard of ancient Greek silver phialai (drinking vessel), dating from 300 BC, was found, in Èze, in the late nineteenth century 
• The area was subsequently occupied not only by the Romans, but also the Moors, who held the area for approximately 80 years until they were driven out by William of Provence in 973.
• The ancient fortified village still has some of its its 12th-century fortified castle (most of it was torn down in 1706) 

Ventimiglia - Shopping Nirvana For Susie & Sandy!

• Prehistoric settlements have been discovered in the area.
• In 180 BC, it came under Rome's control and accepted its laws. In 49 BC it obtained Roman citizenship from Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) and it was called "Albintimilium" in the Augustan Age.
• In Roman times the city was enriched with villas, aqueducts, fountains, a public forum, a theater and baths.
• Through the centuries, the town has been part of Italy and France. 
• Ventimiglia is home to the Biblioteca Civica Aprosiana. A must-see for any bibliophile, this huge public library, founded by the writer and Augustan monk Angelico Aprosio in 1648, is one of the oldest in Italy. Somehow I don't think Susie & Sandy (the power shopper they are) will be visiting this library :-)  )