The village of La Turbie is on the busy road junction of the Moyenne Corniche where you turn to go down to Monaco.   If you’re in too much of a hurry, you’ll miss a picturesque Medieval village and, for those of you interested in European and Roman history, the famous Trophée des Alpes.

The central part of the village, along the busy Moyenne Corniche highway, has shops, restaurants and hotels, a great place for a rest –  if you can find a place to park during the summer season.  Although La Turbie has a healthy content of tourists,  it’s really an active French village. The lower parking lot is often filled with parents dropping off or picking up their children from the centrally located school, and the Mairie, just above, is prominent in its Provençal pastel colour.

The old village, rising up the hillside towards the Trophée is well restored, with the original medieval portes including the one where the ancient ‘voie Romaine’ entered with carved lintels over doorways, ancient houses and narrow streets paved with stone and brick.  However, the narrowness of the streets and the height of the buildings does tend to keep the village in shadow most of the day.  Wandering through here, you’ll also discover 12th and 13th-century defensive walls, picturesque arched passages and lovely plants and flowers just about everywhere.