Secret Frenc Riviera — Jean Pierre Cassely

A game of pétanque played with square boules an astonishing aerial well stained plastic windows a marble bench built in memory of the Queen of England s haemophiliac son the instruments oft he Passion of Christ a cannon that fires cherry stones a good luck pig a mysterious pyramid a monument to secret agents an entire village that moved house a gas mask for horses a statue sculpted by Saint Luke a chapel showing the dead rising from their tombs a trapdoor in the nave of a church that opens onto a rushing torrent a restaurant in an Orient Express railway car Babar s beach Tintin s Black Island and Sleeping Beauty s chateau a chance to admire the Riviera s first pair of naked breasts or spend the night sleeping in a tree The French Riviera is not limited to the clichés of its beaches private yachts and luxury hotels For those who know how to leave behind the beaten paths the Riviera is full of surprising details and curious insights It will even amaze its inhabitants as well as visitors who think they know it well Criss crossing between Tuscany Languedoc the French Riviera and his native Provence Jean Pierre Cassely spent ten years spent ten years working for the French television network France 3 before becoming an independent in the field of television video and sound together with his long time partner Philippe Carrese One day in Paris he had an eye opening experience A series of visits revealed to him the secrets of the Ile Saint Louis the hidden corners of Montmartre and the black humour lurking in Pere lachaise cemetery Returning home to Provence by train Jean Pierre was already thinking about all the anecdotes he had collected or could collect about his own native region He proceeded to explore the village of Cassis the the cities and towns of Marseille Aix Sanary and most recently Toulon His commentaries concerning his discoveries broadcast daily on France Bleue Provence radio under the apt title of Unusual Provence took a humorous and sometimes provocative popular historical approach Further information on these astonishing accounts can be found at wwwprovence insoliteorg