As the southern Spanish city of Malaga was the birthplace of Pablo Picasso it is only ‘right’ that Malaga’s ‘best loved son’ has a museum in his honour.

Being the ‘art capital of Spain’, Barcelona also rightly houses a ‘Museu Picasso’ that is home to one of the most extensive collections of artworks by the 20^th century Spanish painter and reveals the artist’s relationship with the Catalan capital, which was shaped by adolescence and youth.

Being the ‘art capital of France’ is it equally as justifiable why Paris boasts the ‘Musee National Picasso Paris’, which has been labelled as being ‘one of the world’s finest museums consecrated to the work and life of Cubist artist Pablo Picasso.’

There is another Picasso Museum situated in the less major but utterly exquisite town of Antibes on the Cote D’Azur, proof of just how much the French Riviera meant to the painter and vice-versa.

Picasso and the Cote d’Azur have enjoyed a reciprocal fascination ever since the famous Spanish painter moved to Vallauris in 1947. Almost 40 years following Picasso’s death, exhibitions in celebration and honour of the artist are held regularly in the place that Picasso fondly admitted, inspired him to most.

Located in the Grimaldi Chateau, the Picasso Museum Antibes opened in 1966 and houses an impressive collection of Picasso’s works from the 20^th century, including much of what the artist donated to Antibes in the 1940s as a means of saying thank you to Antibes for enabling him to be so artistically inspired.

Since it was opened this fascinating Picasso museum has been extended and modified and is now home to the works of other major artists, including Miro, De Stael, Cesar, Dezeuze and Atlan

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So you want to start married life in style? Then taking your honeymoon on the Cote d’Azur will certainly mean that starting your adventure as being ‘Mr and Mrs’ will begin stylishly, eloquently, luxuriously, not to mention utterly romantically.

With its romantic sunsets setting upon the Mediterranean gently bobbing multi-million pounds yachts in the many world-class marines, with first-rate restaurants providing truly exquisite cuisine in the most amorous of settings, and kilometre after kilometre of delicately soft sand, inviting couples to sink in to and spend the day relaxing, yes it’s safe to announce that the Cote d’Azur is a honeymooner’s paradise.

Whilst there is plenty of first-rate accommodation for newly weds to stay in on the Cote d’Azur, one place stands out particularly in providing the bride and groom with the luxury, passion and exclusivity they are yearning on their honeymoon.

Located perfectly between two of the Cote d’Azur’s most glamorous and exclusive cities Cannes and Monaco, is the Michelin star luxury hotel known as Le Mas Candille, five-star accommodation that is a favourite retreat of many a celebrity.

Being a member of the Relais and Chateaux group, a collection of some of the best restaurants and hotels throughout the world, creating world-class cuisine from some of the most highly-acclaimed and sought-after chefs, one would expect the food, service and ambience of Le Mas Candille is nothing short of perfection.

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In spite of the popular image of the Cote d’Azur being a sunbather’s haven with beautiful sandy beaches and bays providing the perfect place to relax, sunbath, swim and snorkel, the nearby mountains that provide a stunning backdrop for the French Riviera’s coast, are just crying out to be explored, particularly in the summer.

If we’ve managed to persuade you do exchange your bikini and towel for the hiking boots and helmet and head to the Cote d’Azur’s most tranquil, beautiful and natural of regions, then you may want to take a look at three great ‘white knuckle’ activities available in the Cote d’Azur ‘quieter side’, which certainly aren’t for the faint hearted.

Potholing

Being lowered into a deep hole amongst the cliffs may not be everybody’s vision of what constitutes a relaxing break on the Cote d’Azur, but for those who dare, potholing in the French Riviera Mountains would be a truly exhilarating and unforgettable experience.

This underground adventure playground, made from mud, water and rock is there to be explored.

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With ultra-glamorous nightclubs, casinos and restaurants, designer boutiques lining the seafront and a harbour that is home to some of the most exclusive yachts on the Med, the town of Saint Tropez could be described as being the ultimate hub for the rich and famous living on and visiting the Cote d’Azur.

Saint Tropez has long be the source of attractive headlines if not solely for the sheer ‘class’ and ‘status’ of many of the people who visit this well-heeled town. Although recently, Saint Tropez has made the headlines for a different reason entirely, announcing that it is to observe the Year of India in 2012.

Saint Tropez town council has collaborated with the Indian Ministry of Tourism, which collectively decided to observe 2012 as the Year of India in Saint Tropez.

So what exactly does ‘observing the Year of India 2012’ entail for Saint Tropez?

Saint Tropez may be buzzing with vibrant, colourful and heavily-attended events all year round but 2012 is seeing an exceptionally frequent amount of cultural events, sporting tournaments, exhibitions, concerts, gastronomic events and even fashion shows, to mark the partnership between Saint Tropez and the Indian Ministry of Tourism.

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In 1956 a 21-year-old Bridgette Bardot visited Picasso at his studio in Vallauris, Cannes, during the Cannes Film Festival. Many photographs of the stunning French actress, who in 1956, was at the height of her ‘beauty’, ‘demand’ and ‘fame’, were taken during her meeting with Picasso in Cannes and are yet more proof of Bardot’s life-long love-affair with the Cote d’Azur.

Similar to Bridgette Bardot, Pablo Picasso also had an extremely publicised magnetism with the Cote d’Azur and the legendary Spanish artist lived thee for many years. During his time living on the Cote d’Azur, Picasso jumped from Antibes in 1946 to Vallauris in 1947 to Cannes in 1955, where he bought the magnificent 19^th century “La Villa California”, to Mougins in 1961, where the painter died in 1973.

Living in the various towns on the Cote d’Azur, Picasso reportedly experienced many love stories – both romantically and artistically and it has been described that it was the Cote d’Azur which exuded the ‘creative intensity’ from within Picasso and ‘pushed his genius and formidable love of life’.

If you too , like Bridget Bardot some 56 years ago, have yearnings to experience a touch of Picasso in the painter’s most inspirational of places, then visiting the ‘Picasso, les chemins du sud’ exhibition in Cannes is most definitely recommendable.

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