Contact: Edwin Cottey B.A.,N.P. Solicitor & Estate Agent.
Tel. 0033 (0) 494 997200 Fax: 0033 (0) 494 997201
E-mail: info@ejcfrenchproperty.com
Provence - General Information
The area of southern France known since ancient times as Provence, corresponds
broadly to the Var and surrounding departments of the Vaucluse, Bouches du
Rhone, Alpes Maritimes and Alpes de Haute Provence. Taking its name from
'Provincia Romana', the name given to it by Julius Caesar, its climate is
Mediterranean and its landscape, which is mostly unspoilt, distinctively
varied. The traditional industries are largely agricultural and centred around
the vine and olive. However, it has the second city of France and the most
important port in the Mediterranean at Marseille. It is also the centre of the
country's tourist industry and the destination of 2% of the world's tourists.
As a place to live, its popularity goes back to Classical times. The Greeks
were the first to establish trading posts along the Mediterranean , founding
Marseille in 600 B.C. The Romans followed and Frejus soon became the second
largest port in the Roman empire. In more modern times the Victorians made the
coast from Nice to Hyeres ( the Côte d'Azur ) a popular place to escape the
rigours of the British winter. They were followed by a host of writers and
artists who found inspiration in its countryside and climate.
In the last fifty years it has become the holiday destination of a large number
of the 70 million annual visitors to the country who enjoy a host of activities
from the most rigorous to the least physically demanding imaginable.
THE VAR
The Var region, in which we specialise, lies at the very heart of Provence. It
extends from near Grasse in the east almost to Marseille in the west and from
the Gorges du Verdon in the north, south to the Mediterranean. The villages of
the coastal Var include such well-known names at St Tropez, Port Grimaud and Le
Lavandou - and the beaches and coastline are some of the most beautiful on the
Cote d’Azur.
Behind the coast lie two ranges of hills, the Maures and Estorel and beyond
these stretch the unspoilt country of the Central and Upper Var. There you will
find a host of delightful villages which are steeped in history and bursting
with the scents and colours of the Provencal way of life. It is still a land
where the pace of life is more gentle and in which are present all the
ingredients to help you escape the stresses of modern life.
Edwin J. Cottey B.A., N.P.
Solicitor & Estate Agent. Carte Professionnelle No. 3873 – Prefecture du Var
Member
of the Law Society of Scotland. Member
of the Franco-British Lawyers Society
