Château Grimaldi, Cagnes-Sur-Mer

I wish my last name was Grimaldi!

The Grimaldi family is very famous in this region, they are the current royal family of Monaco and have a well documented history dating back to the 1100s. The Grimaldi gang were successful maritime merchants and developed a great empire throughout the Mediterranean, which of course, continues to present day. In the earlier stages of their dynasty, in 1309 to be exact, one of the Grimaldis, Rainier, built a castle on top of a fortress, formerly used by the Greeks and then Romans, in the medieval town of Cagnes-Sur-Mer (now quite a developed, large town about 20 minutes west of Nice).

Given the château’s historical value and in an effort to learn more about the history of the region, I went to check it out. At first, the most striking element is the medieval town. The road became extremely narrow, cobble-stoned, and bordered by rows of adorable medieval townhouses (for lack of the proper name for a house dating back to the Dark Ages). I was also amazed by the parking garage; it was like a giant vending machine for cars. You roll the car onto a belt (like at the car wash or the body shop) and a giant machine takes over, putting the car in a special elevator and moving it vertically to space nested in a structure similar to an pentagon-shaped vending machine. It was truly amazing to watch the car being placed into a spot on the TV monitor in the drop-off/pick-up waiting room. But anyways, back to the historical stuff…..

The old castle was really just that, a big building that seemed really old. Today, the castles hosts a variety of art exhibits (which were kind of weird, but showcased local talent) and has a wonderful panoramic viewpoint on the top.

Entrance to Museum in Chateau Grimaldi

As mentioned earlier, I was most impressed by the medieval town. It felt as though I had just stepped back in time. It was an amazing maze of narrow streets and alleys with homes still occupied. Another attractive aspect of this particular village is the stunning view, you can see as far east as St. Jean-Cap-Ferrat and as far west as Antibes and it is on a hill-top, so there is a constant breeze mitigating the hot weather.

View from the top of Chateau Grimaldi facing west to Antibes

Altogether, la vielle ville de Cagnes-Sur-Mer is a charming spot. I had a lovely tomato and mozzarella salad for lunch in the plaza (at a table with a gorgeous view of the Provencal Alps) while waiting for the museum to reopen at 2 pm. This tourist spot is a great place to visit because it is easy on the pocket, offers an exceptional view of the Cote d’Azur, and provides the ideal backdrop for imagining what it was like to live in a medieval town.

Medieval alleyway, Cagnes-Sur-Mer