And here we are in Antibes!
One of our final destinations in the French Riviera was the lively port city of Antibes. An introduction to Antibes by Josiah, Julie, and Liz. Image by Caitlyn Dabbs.
Mirroring Nice across the Mediterranean Sea, is the lively city of Antibes. Antibes hosts several activities ranging from lounging on sandy beaches to antique shopping in the market. One of the most famous residents, Pablo Picasso, lived and worked here for a year. Upon his departure he left behind over 200 works of art. Those works are now housed in the Picasso Museum and viewed by art lovers from around the world. Antibes is also famous for having the second largest port in France. Luxury yachts can be seen sailing the crystal blue waters off the shore. The narrow streets and quaint shops of Old Town give a historical look back to the new bustling town surrounding it.
Kayla, Jen, Emily, and Melissa focus on the Antibes market and socca, Provence’s chickpea flatbread
The small and quaint open air market was sheltered by a wooden canopy and lined with vendors selling cheeses, meats, spices, and produce. The freshly baked aroma of the socca mingles with the scents of cheese and olives and completely disappears as you reach the spice and lavender stands. Different than most markets in the Riviera, the Antibes market is intimate and frequented by more locals than tourists. Women carrying shopping bags and stocking up on fresh produce and local cheeses for their families slid by each other with a kiss and quick “bonjour.” Socca, once known as a poor man food has now become a delicacy in the French Riviera, in Italy it is called farinata or cecina. The thin and soft pancake-like dish made of chickpea flour, water, olive oil, and a lot of black pepper has quickly become a staple at the entrance to the Antibes market. Served steaming hot from the portable wood oven and sprinkled with black pepper, as is traditionally eaten, allowed us to stroll through the market while savoring this native food.