I remember
visiting Gruyères in Switzerland some years ago – home to
that rather tasty cheese you can buy in upmarket stores. It was an
extraordinarily well-preserved medieval town, crammed with history and atmosphere.
But somehow or other, it had managed to transform itself into a theme park,
complete with shops selling toy cows that yodelled when you pressed a button.
It would be
a little harsh to say that Èze – a heavily-marketed village in southern France
– has enveloped itself in Swiss cheese too. But it’s surely just a yodel away.
The
tumbling, ramshackled and ancient streets spiral around a hill. It’s a little
like a miniature version of the neighbouring Principality of Monaco, as no
matter which way you turn, you end up in the same place over and over again.
But instead of superyachts, casinos and Russian oligarchs, Èze boasts endless
shops and eateries – each catering in one way or another for the tourists that
it attracts.
Every nook
contains a nick-nack that can be taken back to London or Hamburg or Tokyo. Some
of the stuff is actually quite tasteful – artisan necklaces, original art works
and individually designed clothes – but it is so overwhelming, it definitely
detracts from the history and aesthetic of the place.
Of course, you’d
have to be an other-worldly naïf to imagine there wouldn’t be shops,
restaurants and tourist offices surrounding a place as attractive as this. But there is something disconcerting about actually
embedding twenty-first century commerce in the fifteenth-century buildings
themselves.
The workers
who toil in the village are a constant reminder of the twenty-first century.
They take communal breaks on the steps among the tourists – reclining to the
side of the cobbled walkways, puffing on cigarettes and checking their social
media, before returning to hotels that charge €81 for a melon starter and €95
for veal and veg.
The biggest
selling point of Èze is its spectacular views of the French Riviera, but you
shouldn’t think that these come for free. To sneak a peek, you’re charged €6 to
enter an exotic garden of follies and life-sized statues of giraffes. A sign
strictly prohibits the use of drones, which rules out a cost-cutting flypast.
It’s
difficult to say what Èze really is today. It undoubtedly has a beauty and
charm, but its authenticity has been traded in for Japanese Yen and US Dollars.
This must surely create an opportunity for other villages in the region who can
position themselves as a more genuine slice of history.
If you’re
looking for an authentic approach to the preservation of medieval
architecture and culture, it’s worth travelling 50km east into Italy. The coastal
town of San Remo is a much larger tourism hub than Èze and has all the
trappings you’d expect in terms of shops, restaurants and beaches. It also has
a spectacular old town, which is remarkably well preserved.
The difference
with the Italian resort is that the tourist infrastructure is largely separated
from the winding ancient streets. Real people still live in the hills of San
Remo and they are pottering around with their shopping and chatting to each
other between buildings, as the tourists pass by. In that sense, the feeling is
perhaps a little similar to that of the historic Alfama district of Lisbon,
Portugal.
While the
tourists must be a constant intrusion to the locals, the locals undoubtedly
help make the trip more satisfying for the tourists. Particularly those who
hope for a modicum of authenticity and a slightly less adulterated view of
history.
And the
views? San Remo’s are pretty spectacular too. But the only price you pay is in
physical exertion.
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