View from Eze (Looking Toward St Jean Cap Ferrat)

VIEW FROM EZE (Looking Toward St. Jean Cap Ferrat)

Oil on canvas, 24 x 36 in. by Gulay Berryman

“As we climbed up the steep path and came to the entrance, I knew that discovering this medieval village nestled near the top of a mountain would be an experience of a lifetime.  As I strolled through the narrow streets lined with exotic plants and flowers, I saw how well it was all put together.  Every time I turned a corner, I saw a scene for a painting.  When I came to the spot where I saw the view I painted above, my heart skipped a beat... It was magical!  I wasn't so sure whether it was the height, the atmosphere, the light at that time of day or a combination of all these which contributed but I knew then that I just had to take this view home...” 

Gulay Berryman

EZE

Eze, on the French Riviera, has been described in many travel magazines and on websites as a picturesque village from which you can enjoy one of the top ten panoramic views to be found anywhere in the world!   This painting depicts the view from Eze looking toward the peninsula of St. Jean Cap Ferrat with the charming village of Beaulieu-sur-Mer along the coastline below.

Eze is precariously perched 1400 ft. up a cliff on a hilltop above the Mediterranean Sea near Mt. Bastide.   Geographically, it is almost half-way between Nice and Menton along the Eastern coast of the French Riviera.   Initially settled around 2000 BC, the village of Eze was either visited or occupied by the ancient Greeks, Romans, the Genoese, and then the Ottomans before finally being conquered by France in 1706 under King Louis XIV during the War of the Spanish Succession.  The oldest building in Eze is the Chapelle de la Croix which goes back to 1306.

Among its many attractions, Eze boasts two of the finest five star luxury hotels in the world:  La Chevre d’Or (www.chevredor.com) and the Chateau Eza (www.chateaueza.com).   It also has a very rich botanical garden with a wide variety of plants and flowers, a number of fine art galleries, artisan & craft shops and fashion stores along with the Fragonard Perfume Factory just beneath the village.  Eze is a popular tourist destination all summer long but in particular, during the month of May when the Principality of Monaco along the coast just below hosts both the Historic Grand Prix and the modern Formula One Grand Prix of Monaco motor races.