From 1 April to 1 May 2017
Villa Rothschild in Cannes ©C.Moirenc
The gardens in the Côte d’Azur region have significantly contributed to the area’s reputation as a top tourist destination and today harbour an exceptional wealth of botanical heritage. The Côte d’Azur was the playground of the 19th century aristocracy, and botanical enthusiasts wintering in the area had plenty of time on their hands to acclimate many of the species they brought back from their travels to the Mediterranean environment, thus creating extraordinary gardens. These include botanical gardens, acclimatisation gardens, conservatories of fragrant plants for perfumes and flower gardens. These sites can be found both on the coast and in the mountains, and several have earned the label “Remarkable Gardens” of France.
A new event on the Côte d’Azur
‘The Alpes-Maritimes department has decided to celebrate this priceless heritage with a brand new event: The Côte d’Azur Garden Festival, which will take place between 1 April and 1 Mai 2017 with the theme “Awaken your senses”’. Eric Ciotti, MP, President of the Alpes-Maritimes department.
The IN Festival consists of a competition in which participants will create 200 m² temporary gardens in several town centres that are among the most beautiful places in the department: Cannes – the Villa Rothschild gardens; Menton – the Biovès gardens; Grasse – the Honoré Cresp Esplanade; Nice – the Albert I gardens on the Promenade du Paillon; and Antibes – the Gould pine grove in Juan-les-Pins.
The competition was launched at the “Jardins, Jardin” event in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris on 3 June.
The OFF Festival will allow the entire Côte d’Azur to celebrate in unison the region’s lush and remarkable botanical heritage. On the programme: activities, conferences, exhibits, open houses and guided tours.
The UNEP (Union Nationale des Entreprises du Paysage), which has been working with the Alpes-Maritimes department from the start, and the ELCA (European Landscape Contractors Association) will both be involved in this Festival.
A thematic means for visitors to discover the Côte d’Azur
This event is an opportunity to honour throughout the year the nearly sixty Côte d’Azur gardens open to the public via discovery routes and short break plans that allow visitors to fully immerse themselves in these exceptional sites. Visitors can meet, for example, fragrant flower producers and horticulturists, many of whom are working to be nominated for UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage lists for the “Perfume plant expertise” in the Grasse area. The gardens will also be celebrated through cuisine and the many festivities scheduled on the Côte d’Azur between January and December.
“We hope over 400,000 visitors will discover this extraordinary natural legacy thanks to this ambitious event. The tourism aim is to exceed one million paid admissions in the Côte d’Azur gardens in 2017.” David Lisnard, Mayor of Cannes, President of CRT Côte d’Azur.
This project is being carried out in part with funding from the European ALCOTRA France-Italy project JARDIVAL, which aims to protect and enhance the gardens of the Côte d’Azur and the Italian Riviera. In parallel to the Festival, five municipalities and one Italian province will thus receive new amenities and equipment in 2016 and 2017: the Villa Rothschild gardens in Cannes, Maria Séréna in Menton, the Jardin des Plantes in Grasse, the Villa Ormond in Sanremo, the Novaro gardens in Costarainera, and, finally, the Villa Grock in the Province of Imperia.
Practical information:
From July, you can find weekend and short break plans to discover the Côte d’Azur gardens on the following website: www.cotedazur-sejours.com
Further information can be found on www.cotedazur-tourisme.com and www.departement06.fr
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