Welcome to 5 Rue des Arcades and ‘our village’

Introduction to number 5 Rue des Arcades and Valbonne...

The house is situated only a minute or so away from the main square of the medieval village. The village of Valbonne is pedestrianised and, although there is a busy village square only moments away, Rue des Arcades is very quiet and tranquil. One of the many joys of its location, is that if you visit for only a weekend, you need never leave the village, even though there is much to see in the area. There are restaurants, (26 at the last count!) shops and galleries only a short walk away.

Valbonne (or Vallis Bona, “the good valley”) is steeped in history. Its name first appears when the Chalaisian monks were granted a charter by the Bishop of Antibes in 1199 to build an abbey there. Some time later, in 1519, the Bishop of Grasse then decided he wanted to create a village next to the abbey, which would enable him to exercise his lordly dues and live it up! The monks of Lerins designed the grid structure of the village which remains the same today, its rectangular shape inspired by Roman encampments, bounded by ‘rampart’ houses, with an entrance gate on each of the four sides of the village. Our house is a relative newcomer, probably only dating back to the 17th century.

Valbonne hosts a lively village market every Friday morning, an antique market the first Sunday of the month, and other festivities throughout the year.

As well as having its own picturesque charm, Valbonne also still has the atmosphere of a living village. There are many original “Valbonnaise” living in the village as well, it has to be said, as Brits and ex-pats, many working in Sophia Antipolis, the nearby “Technopolis” home to many high tech and science based companies.

Related links: Web Site for Valbonne Tourist Office