AMB Cote d'Azur

As you walk down Rue Grande towards Gate of Saint Michel (also known as Gate of Nice), you'll pass a very pretty small square on your left made up of tall narrow houses dating back to the Renaissance and 17th century. In the centre of the square you'll find a stone fountain from where water has flowed since 1611.

Past this stone fountain, on the right you'll find an arched stone lintel inscribed with the words "Par ce val". This sign may well be the entrance to the ancient Alziary de Roquefort home, where one of its family members would ride his horse up the main staircase.

They were an aristocratic family and held important public offices during the 17th and 18th century. During the Revolution, Jean-Honoré became a member of the Board of Directors for the Var department, while his brother, Jean-Antoine, was the district judge and Commander of the National Guard. Their sisters, Marie-Pauline and Marie-Blanche, were both actresses with the Comédie Française, with Marie-Blanche having the stage name of "Demoiselle de Sainval" - another allusion perhaps to the stone lintel.

As a byline it is interesting to note that, at the time of the French Revolution, the Isle of St-Honorat and its monastery were confiscated in 1787, becoming the property of the nation and later sold to Marie-Blanche Alziary de Roquefort's father. The island went on to be sold twice.