The Cote d’Azur simply exudes sophistication and is one of the most multi-cultural regions in the whole of Europe. Although it has to be said that one of the most international spots on the Cote d’Azur is an albeit unlikely place – a technology park known as Sophia Antipolis.

Europe’s leading international business park is located between Antibes and Nice. Building the state-of-the-art technology park took a whopping 14 years, starting in 1970 and not completed until 1984.

Sophia Antipolis is known as being a hub in the “Telecom Valley” and is a landmark in the world of invention, science, research and innovation, with a focus on developing an international environment and community.

This world-renowned park is named after Sophie Glikman-Toumarkine, wife of Pierre Laffitte, a French Senator who founded the park. As ‘Sophia’ is the Greek word for wisdom, a Greek theme runs throughout the architecture and design of the technology park, and asides many of the roads within the park having Greek names, there is a huge sculptured Greek urn as a centre-piece on one of the roundabouts.

Surrounding this “hub in Tele-com valley” is a huge national park. The wild boar that live in the park have occasionally been known to walk through Sophia Antipolis’s streets, which also attracts a community of bats after dark!

A residential community, known as Garbejaire, is located within Sophia Antipolis, which comprises of restaurants, an Internet café, supermarkets, a bakery, hairdressers, chemist and an open-air mall. There is also two hotels close by as well as a church.

The future of what one can safely refer to as being one of the most cosmopolitan and international spots on the Cote d’Azur was recently made more concrete and secure, with the signing of a 24 million euro partnership between the Provence-Alpes_Cote d’Azur (PACA) region and the Communaute d’Agglomeration Sophia Antipolis (CASA).

The fundamental aim of the new partnership is to improve the quality of life for the residents living in the Sophia Antipolis community. More than 30 projects have been designed aimed at improving travel services, the economic development, housing, tackling crime and developing more cultural facilities in the community.

It is hoped that the 24 million euro development of Sophia Antipolis will not only improve the technology park and its community by augmenting the attractiveness of the leading business landmark, but will benefit the PACA region as a whole by providing jobs and improving the region’s commerce and infrastructure

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