Haut de Cagnes : About the old medieval city of Cagnes

The English site about Cagnes

Here is a video clip from a film about Cagnes, probably from around 1956. The video plays for about 9 minutes and I have recorded this from a colour 16mm film. Quality is poor because I have had to compress it to play over the internet. Might I suggest that you turn up the brightness on your computer screen to view the video at its best. A soundtrack in French is provided with the film. Please click below and wait a minute for the film to start running. It is in Real Video format and will stream.

Left, the house now covered with leaves is 38 Rue Hippolyte Guis (July 2000). The photograph above is the castle at Cagnes (July 2000).

The French town of Cagnes-sur-Mer is set in a landscape of hills covered with olive and orange trees and cultivated by flowers (carnations, rose, mimosa). The town comprises: Haut-de-Cagnes, dominated by a medieval castle, Cagnes-Ville, the modern residential and commercial quarter and Cros-de-Cagnes, an unusual fishing village and beach. The picturesque upper town has become the home of many painters who come each year in great numbers, attracted by the beautiful setting and incomparable light [from the Michelin Guide to the French Riviera – Cote d’Azur].

My grandmother was French and lived in Cagnes at 38 Rue Hippolyte Guis (probably since the 1920s). I visited Haut de Cagnes each year from early childhood though to my mid-teens. The attraction of the village is so strong that I visited Cagnes again this year. This website is about an Englishman’s love of a small French village. This site is dedicated to Cagnes.

Door knocker from 38 Rue Hippolyte Guis. This is typical of the knockers found in Cagnes.