3 hours (or less) from Paris: Côte d'Azur #1

First, we made sure we had a beautiful and comfortable base.

Joined by an Italian-American opera singer friend staying in nearby Italy, we lucked out with the weather: refreshing mornings and evenings and warm sun-splashed days.

Below: our maison d'hôte tucked into surrounding hills with distant views of Nice and the sea; poolside breakfasts, cool mornings