Mougins ****

A VILLAGE YOU SHOULD VISIT

Mougins is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 19,982.

It is located on the heights of Cannes. Mougins is a 15-minute drive from Cannes. The town is surrounded by forests, most notably the Valmasque forest. In the town there are pines, olives and cypress trees. We visited the village while staying at the Royal Mougin.

Picasso

Pablo Picasso spent the last 12 years of his life living in Mougins (1961–1973), where he died and lived in a 'mas' (farmhouse) at Notre-Dame-de-Vie, which is a small hilltop just beside the old village of Mougins and next to the 12th-century chapel of the same name.

Picasso's studio was in the old village in a building that is now the tourist office, while the studio of Fernand Léger was above what is now the village wine shop, next to the rear of the Mougins Museum of Classical Art.

Sir Winston Churchill liked to sit in the middle of nature in front of the Notre-Dame-de-Vie chapel to write, very close to his neighbour Pablo Picasso, who used to come and set up his easel here.

Restaurants

Mougins has an important culinary history, with chef Roger Vergé, having owned two restaurants in the village: L'Amandier and Le Moulin de Mougins. In 1969, Vergé came to Mougins. A true pioneer: he dusted off and lightened French cuisine. He invented the “Cuisine du Soleil” (Sunshine Cuisine) that he introduced across the globe, contributing to the growing reputation of French cuisine. He was awarded 5 stars by the Michelin Guide for his two restaurants.

L'Amandier: Roger Vergé owned L'Amandier for over twenty years, while also training another of the world's greatest contemporary chefs, Alain Ducasse, who worked for Roger Vergé in Mougins from 1977-1981, and ultimately worked as a chef here.

The first floor of L’Amandier is still known as ‘Les Salles des Moines’ (The Monk's Hall) as it served as court house for the Monks of Saint Honorat in the Middle Ages. By the 19th century, this building had become a mill, pressing flowers grown on the hillsides of Mougins, to supply rose, jasmine and lavender oil for the perfumeries of the nearby village of Grasse.

At Le Moulin de Mougins, Roger Vergé hosted the very first Gala, a charity event to which celebrities flocked, contributing to the town's gastronomic reputations. Consequently, in the 1970s, Mougins boasted 7 Michelin stars and became the village with the most stars in France. A friend of the arts and artists, over the years Vergé transformed his restaurant into a living museum with works by his friends César Baldaccini, Arman, Folon or Tobiasse.

Another great restaurant is the La Méditerranée, also situated in the village. You will get a warm welcome from chef Laela Mouhamou and Nicolas Catherine. The restaurant has a warm and elegant atmosphere. The chef offers you the daily slate based on market products.

MOUGINS, CÔTE-D'AZUR, FRANCE