Located just 22km from Nice airport, a little over 17km from Cannes, and 7km from Sophia-Antipolis, this picturesque and very popular 15th century provençal village should be on your list of discoveries. Nigel and I first visited Biot in the spring of 2001 when searching for some pretty provençal table cloths and olive wood salad bowls as gifts for his family. Like many tourists before us, we strolled along rue St-Sébastien captivated by the many potteries, crafts and glass shops open to the public. This road, partly pedestrian, is also home to Biot’s Tourist Office, numerous restaurants, a couple of cafés and a few elegant boutiques. Having made our purchases, we turned back - totally blind to the hidden qualities of this lovely village.

So it was that early one February morning in 2005 I decided to further explore this medieval village prior to visiting the glass factory a few days later. Though it certainly warmed up by mid morning, I was very glad to have brought along a pair of woollen gloves with me in my backpack as I meandered through the narrow streets.   

Comprising of a population of over 7,400 people called “Biotois”, the commune of Biot extends over 1550 hectares with some of the finest woodland along the Côte d’Azur. Perched on a hilltop above the coastal plane of the Brague, it is crossed by the river Brague from west to east and overlooks hills covered with mimosas and olive trees.

Although its roots date back some 2,500 years, Biot was already known as a Potters’ Village during Roman times. Written mention of Biot (derived from Buzoto or Bisoto) has been found in a number of manuscripts, belonging to the then Bishop of Antibes and dating back to the 12th century.

Towards the end of the 19th century, clay pots used for transporting foodstuffs gradually fell into disuse. It was not until the middle of the 20th century that Biot resumed its expansion, with the development of glassworks and decorative pottery.

Classified as “City and Trade of Art”, it is renowned worldwide for its glass-blowing tradition, its international glass museum, the production of momumental earthenware jars, and “sable de Biot”. The town is also closely related to Fernand Léger (French Cubist Painter), whose works are gathered in the Fernand Léger National Museum (also known as “the Cathedral of Modern Art).

Biot is also one of the founding communes (Valbonne, Vallauris, Antibes, Mougins being the others) of the Sophia Antipolis Science Park. Founded by Pierre Laffitte, discussion groups were first established in 1960. But it was forteen years later when the first compay (Franlab) established itself on the immense park in 1974.

Since then it has grown in strength year upon year and now has more than 1,100 companies employing around 20,000 people in such sectors as telecommunications, internet, satellite and pharmaceuticals. For this reason, the commune of Biot is a much sought after area to live in both by French and Expats alike, combining pleasant pine and oak forests, enjoyable leisure activities with easy commuter travel to and from work.

Furthermore, its proximity to Nice airport and A8 péage brings Monaco and Italy and ski slopes within easy reach.

Arriving via the Route de Valbonne, I parked the car at Parking des Bâchettes. There are four other parking areas but all tend to burst at the seams during the summer season or when Biot celebrates one of the regions many fêtes (Mimosa, Carnival, 14 July, etc.). Biot is not just a living village but a close-knit one too and that an oasis of peace and quiet exists away from the tourist-orientated main streets and shops.

As I meandered slowly along the narrow cobbled streets or “ruelles”, we couldn’t help but admire the beautiful doors, vaults, stairways, stonework, sundials, cobblestones, and the perspectives from one street to another. The village centre is the Place aux Arcades. This was originally a Roman forum as Biot was once a Roman town. It has two long 13th and 14th century arcades either side of an oblong plaza. It is surrounded by Italianate loggias - built by Genosese settlers who moved in to repopulate Biot after the Black Death.

The village church, which overlooks the square, has two alterpieces by 15th century artists Louis Bréa and Guivanni Canavesio. Classical concerts and recitals are held in the square on summer evenings.

Visiting Biot is to take a real tour through Provençal history. Its streets and alleys are named accordingly : la Calade, Le Portugon, Le Cul de Sac, La calade des Migraniers, Lei Croûtons, place de l'Airette, rue Rondon and rue des Orfevres. Place de la Catastrophe, a tiled peaceful square, with a small water trough at one end is a sad reminder to a tragic event.  During a First Communion meal two houses collapsed on June 12, 1898; twenty-three people died out of the 49 attending this special day.

The Rue de Mitan has a number of untouched examples of medieval shops and the entire quarter has a particular charm quite unlike other medieval villages found in this region.

This charm was further enhanced as I passed neighbours chatting happily amongst themselves on their doorsteps, while tending their window boxes or working on their homes, windows thrown open to catch the warm autumn sunshine. So obvious was the friendship between these people that I had a sense of accidentally interrupting a private party or trespassing on private land. Yet such were the kind “Bonjours” and smiles accorded me as I passed by that I almost felt part of the comradery.

But the magic of Biot doesn’t end in the village. It is also to be found in the world famous Verrierie de Biot, which fired up its furnaces for the first time in the 1950s. Half working factory and half gallery-showroom, you can watch the unique Biot ‘bubble glassware’ being blown.

As mentioned earlier, the Musée National Fernand-Léger is also here. Léger spent his last few years in Biot, and before dying in August 1955, bought a plot of land (le mas Saint-André) located at the foot of the village. is second wife (Nadia Khodossievitch) commissioned André Svétchine, a local architect, to build the museum in honour of her husband’s long and varied career. The first stone was laid on 27 February 1957.

The museum contains 348 works by Léger and has a stunning mosaic (500m²) celebrating sports and designed for the Hanover Stadium. Unfortunately the museum was closed for renovations so a return visit is planned this Autumn when the works are completed.

Biot is also home to the Bonsai Arboretum with its exceptional collection of Bonsai. Created in 1990, and set in grounds of 2000m² of Japanese garden, it has been lovingly tended for two generations by the Okonek family.

I met with Karol Okonek, the son of Jean Okonek and founder of this impressive collection, and you can read my interview with this very knowledgeable man by clicking here.