Vallauris Golfe-Juan Visitor’s Guide In the heart of Côte d’Azur Index p 1 Historical references p 2/3 Vallauris Golfe-Juan: easy access. Motorway access 3 km; Nice airport 25 km; the prestigious “Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée” rail link. Golfe-Juan is also the starting point for the legendary route: the ‘Route Napoleon’. p 4/5 Vallauris, town of clay tradition and techniques Everything you need to know about pottery: where to see the potters at Golfe-Juan has to offer. This guide work, what heritage and contemporary provides you with all you need to works exhibitions are being held, who know for a break by the sea: whether to speak to about the different you fancy relaxing on a beach, or methods of production. Four pages need ideas for boat trips and sporting full of useful information. activities, or information on scuba diving and water skiing. p 6/9 Artists of international renown. The technical know-how in p 12 Golfe-Juan, Vallauris has attracted a great many a historical shoreline artists that have come to learn more Book now for the re-enactment of about the art of pottery making. Two Napoleon’s landing at the beginning such artists firmly placed the name of of March. Vallauris on the map: Picasso and, more recently, Jean Marais. Find out more about them and their p 13/15 Visits and heritage, work in Vallauris. Also discover: the activities. Ideas for making the most largest public collection of works by of your visit: sporting activities, the artist Alberto Magnelli, one of the historical heritage, routes to follow in pioneers of the Abstract movement. the surrounding area of Vallauris Golfe-Juan. p 10/11 Water-based activities and boating. Sand, exceptional p 16 Map of the area under-water life, and two boating ports: this is a brief summary of what Historical references The history of Vallauris is lost in the mists of time where its fate was linked to its Ligurian neighbour, Antipolis (Antibes): at 247 metres in altitude, on the present site of the Encourdoules, a Roman hill fort was found. 19 AD A milestone dating from the time of the Emperor Tiberius is discovered on the Julian Augustus way. The Romans occupy the hill until the end of their reign. Around 400 The inhabitants “descend” into the present site of the village, which lies in a depression. 987 Vallauris is awarded to the episcopate of Antibes. 1038 The Bishop and Lord of Antibes, Aldebert, donated Vallauris to the Abbey of Lérins. 1227 A priory and chapel are built on the present site of the castle. 1480 The whole region is ravaged by the plague and the population decimated. 1501 First settlements occur: Lord Raynier of Lascaris encourages families from the surrounding area of Gênes to settle and repopulate the village. 1568 On the base of the priory a castle is built in the Renaissance style. 1815 Napoleon lands at Golfe-Juan on 1 March on his return from Elba; this event marks the beginning of the One Hundred Day campaign. 1862 The first train arrives in the station at Golfe-Juan. From 1870 to 1910 Pottery-making reaches its height, as the smaller workshops become industries. 1889 Clément Massier shows his lusterware ceramic work at the universal exhibition in Paris. 1896 A port is built. 1904 A cooperative of orange producers known as the Nérolium is formed 1932 The ‘Route Napoleon’ opens in Golfe-Juan 1948 Picasso comes to live in Vallauris 1949 Picasso is made a freeman of the town and donates ‘Man with a Sheep’ to the town. 1949 The marriage of Rita Hayworth and Ali Khan makes headline news in all the papers. 1956 Picasso donates War and Peace to the French State: Vallauris is given a national museum. 1975 Jean Marais opens an art gallery. 1978 The town acquires works by Magnelli and opens a public gallery 1989 Construction of the port Camille Rayon; new beaches are created. 1996 and 1998 André Villers and Jean Marais are made freemen of the town. Today Vallauris continues to give birth to new talents thus perpetuating the artistic tradition. 31 Vallauris Golfe-Juan: easy to access By car Menton and the valleys and at Cannes for Motorways A6 and A7 Grasse and Saint-Raphaël. Paris-Marseille (known • Urban network by Envibus. Bus station, as the “sunshine motorway”, or Autoroute bd du Docteur Jacques Ugo, 04 93 64 18 37 du soleil), and the A8 (La Provençale); or www.envibus.fr. Six lines pass through Antibes exit, then take the RD135 to the town for Cannes, Antibes and Sophia- Vallauris. The RD 6007 and RD 6098 cross Antipolis. Golfe-Juan from east to west. Note : in July/August, there is a beach € Note: the famous ‘Route Napoleon’ starts shuttle from 8h30 to 19h00 (1 ). from Golfe-Juan and takes you as far as Grenoble (RN85) along the Emperor’s By plane route through the Alps, passing through Vallauris Golfe-Juan is Grasse, Castellane, Sisteron, and many located 25km from more places on the way. the Nice – Côte d’Azur International By train Airport, gateway to the south of Europe From the SNCF and point of departure to more than 70 station at Golfe-Juan destinations worldwide, served by 50 regu- you can access the lar companies. There is also an excellent Regional Express shuttle service between Paris and Nice. Trains, known as the TER (Mandelieu- Information: 0 820 42 33 33 Grasse -Cannes-Nice-Vintimille; ligne n°4), or www.nice.aeroport.fr trains run every 30 minutes on average. For national rail routes and high-speed Regular connexions by “Lignes d’Azur” bus train links (TGV) – with many daily services from the airport. Information : free phone from major French and European cities the 0800 06 01 06 or www.lignesdazur.com nearest stations are Cannes and Antibes. • Vallauris/Nice Airport line, bus no 250, Information (timetable and ticket sales; every 35 minutes, trip lasts about 1 hour, direct line and pre-recorded message): with stop at Golfe-Juan. Tel. 3635 (0,34 € /mn) Single 8 € return 15 €. or www.voyages-sncf.com • Express link via motorway, bus no 210, To make things easier, the ‘Carte Isabelle’ is every hour from 8h00 to 20h00, trip lasts a one-day travel pass available from 1 June 50 minutes, stops at Cannes bus station to 30 September for use on the Alpes- with connexion for Golfe-Juan until 20h00. Maritimes network. The Pignes train (a Single 15,60 €, return 25,50 €. Provence Railways service between Nice and Digne) takes you on a wonderful To help you locate the various places and journey up into the hinterlands. buildings mentioned in this guide, references to Vallauris are preceded by a By bus brown symbol to indicate the map Several lines regularly reference, for example F4 serve Vallauris Golfe- and references to Golfe-Juan are in blue, Juan. for example J8 • Regional route Cannes-Nice served by Lignes d’Azur” regional Nice-Cannes line, free phone All addresses mentioned in this guide 0800 06 01 06 or visit are followed by the postcode www.lignesdazur.com, stops in Golfe-Juan 06220 Vallauris Golfe-Juan. every 15 minutes. 1€ per ticket with connexion possible up to 74 minutes after first use (return trips are not allowed on the same ticket). Connexion at Nice for 2 Identity card Name: Vallauris Golfe-Juan Etymological origin: complex and much debated; we favour the more endearing definition, Vallis Aurea or Golden Valley, which stemmed from the fact that since Ancient times this valley has been covered with golden fruit. Surface area: 1 303 acres; 3km of seafront and the town itself stretches back 6 km inland. Altitude: from 0 (Mediterranean sea) to 281 m (Héliomarin centre). Climate: exceptional; more than 300 days of sunshine per year; average temperatures of 11°C in winter and 25°C in summer. Population: 30 809 inhabitants (in 2009) Feature: world ceramic capital and historical site of Napoleon’s landing on his return from Elba. 3 Vallauris, town of clay The pottery-making traditions of Vallauris date back to the start of the Christian era. In Gallo-Roman times, large deposits of fireclay were already being used to make bricks and pots. In the 16th century, the town was ravaged by the plague. However, 70 families from the surrounding area of Gênes later repopulated it, among which were several potters. At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, the arrival of the railway led to a boom in the industry. The depression of the 1930s and the use of other, more appropriate materials such as aluminium, cast iron and stainless steel marked a shift away from pottery-making for cooking purposes and led to the development of decorative pottery-making in the 1940s. This developed in particular due to the arrival of the Massier family (end of the 19th, beginning of the 20th century), with the introduction of coloured enamels and lusterware. It was with Picasso’s arrival in 1946 and the wonderful work that he created in the Madoura workshop that Vallauris’ reputation as a centre of pottery-making for cooking pur- poses, finally gave way to that of a town in which artists and crafts people worked side by side. In 1966, Vallauris potters decided to create a true World Centre of Ceramics. They pro- posed the creation of a national competition bringing together the best artists and crafts- men in France. This idea rapidly caught-on with famous contemporary artists such as André Malraux and Pablo Picasso, as well as other creative artists, so well in fact, that in 1968 the Competition became international.