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Maison Renoir

We continue by car to climb to the HAUTS-DE-CAGNES and arrive on the Place du Chateau. The only thing to do here is to loiter along the streets lined with houses of the 15th century and enjoy the views everywhere you go. It is a labyrinth steep winding streets and tiny squares, houses decorated with terracotta pots of flowering jasmine and geraniums. On the square you have large café terraces where it is so agreeable to inhale the air, much fresher than along the coast. Everything is very new and sophisticated. There is even a pedestrian area thanks to a 14 level parking dug in the underground. Fully computerised, a typical Cote d'Azur conjunction of modern technology and ancient history.
But sitting on the terrace, having that supreme “dolce farniente” we remark a large castle.  It is not only a castle but also a museum, with a museum of the “olive tree” which can’t hurt us since we visited Renoir’s garden!!
The Chateau-Musee, like we see it from our terrace was built in 1310 by Rainier Grimaldi. But in 1620 a lot of changments were operated in the castle to give it the appearance it has now. We first notice the very cool and pleasantly open courtyard with an impressive pepper tree at the entrance.  Flags arte flapping three stores above. It's a typical Cote d'Azur museum with everything and finally not so interesting items in it. Local historical artefacts, bad local paintings housed in wonderful rooms. 
Very special is the 17th century gallery on the first floor. The ceiling is splendidly painted by the Genovese Carlone. The former boudoir is arranged as a museum SUZY SOLIDOR, which you can't ignore. She was a 1930s nightclub singer and had a famous nightclub in Paris. She had the brilliant idea of letting all her artistic friends paint her. In the end, she had 224 portraits of which 47 are on display here. 
Imagine that there is a “musee d’Art Mediterraneen since 1953 on the upper floor, as if the Cote hadn’t enough of these museums!! Dedicated to artists that have worked on the Cote d'Azur: Vasarely, Duffy. Chagall, Foujita, Cocteau, etc....  
When you leave town through the northeast side via the place and montée du chateau, you will arrive at the chapel of Notre-Dame-de-la-Protection. A bijou 14th century building containing beautiful frescoes of 1530. 

Bibliography:  

John Pemble, "the Mediterranean Passion, Victorians and Edwardians in the South", (Oxford University Press 1988), Mary Blume, "Cote d'Azur. Inventing the French Riviera" (Thames and Hudson, London 1982) Stephen Liegeard, "La Cote d'Azur (Ed.Serre, Nice 1988), Guide du Routard 1998-99, Patrick Howarth, “When the Riviera was ours” (Century, London 1977), Villages de la Cote, (touristic folder issued by the Nice tourist office, 1997)

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