Exotic Garden

View over the sea side of Eze from the Exotic Garden

Quaint isolated hamlet dominating the Riviera coastline, Eze is the perfect example of a perched village. Like an eagle’s nest, it clings to its rock outcrop, towering 427m above the sea. Legend claims that it was founded by the Saracens but in fact it was a Celto-Ligurian settlement, which subsequently came under the rule of the Phoenicians, Romans and Saracens, rising to the status of a county in 16 C.

The Exotic garden of Eze with cacti and Jean-Philippe Richard's sculptures

The area surrounding Èze was first populated around 2000 BC as a commune situated near Mount Bastide. The earliest occurrence of the name "Èze" can be found in the maritime books of Antonin as a bay called the St. Laurent of Èze. The name of the village is supposed to come from the Egyptian goddess Isis. The area was subsequently occupied by not only 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.

By 1388 Èze fell under the jurisdiction of the House of Savoy, who built up the town as a fortified stronghold because of its proximity to Nice( Nice was the boundary between France and the House of Savoy until 1860). The history of Èze became turbulent several times in the next few centuries as French and Turkish troops seized the village under orders from Hayreddin Barbarossa in 1543, and Louis XIV destroyed the walls surrounding the city in 1706 in the war of the Spanish succession. Finally in April 1860, Eze was designated as part of France by unanimous decision by the people of Eze. This square, called the Centenary Square was created to celebrate the centenary of the incorporation of Eze to France.

Traditionally, the territory of the Principality of Monaco was considered to begin in the Èze village (outskirts of Nice), running along the Mediterranean coast to Menton, on the present Italian border.

White Penitents Chapel Nietzsche's path

Members of the lay order of the White Penitents of Èze, in charge of giving assistance to plague victims, would hold their meetings in this chapel. Theshape of the bell-turret is an indication that the village once belonged to the Republic of Genoa. -->

<-- The German philosopher Frédéric Nietzsche was particularly fond of Eze and spent many summers here: the road leading down to the beach still carries his name.

Perched village of Eze

Eze village

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