Èze

Èze (French pronunciation: [ɛːz]; Occitan: Esa; Italian: Eza) is a seaside commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. It is located on the French Riviera, 8.5 km (5.2 mi) to the northeast of Nice and 4.5 km (2.7 mi) to the west of Monaco. As of 2023, Èze had 2,144 inhabitants known as Ezasques (masculine and feminine) in French.

History

The area surrounding Èze was first populated around 200 BC as a commune situated near Mount Bastide. The earliest recorded mention of the area can be found in the maritime section of the Antonine Itinerary, which refers to the bay of Èze as Avisionis portus.

A hoard of ancient Greek silver phialae dating from the 3rd century BC was found in Èze in the late nineteenth century and is now part of the British Museum's collection. The area was subsequently occupied by not only the Romans but also the Moors, who held the area for approximately 80 years until they were driven out by William of Provence in 973.

By 1388, Èze fell under the jurisdiction of the House of Savoy, who built up the town as a fortified stronghold because of its proximity to Nice. The history of Èze became turbulent several times in the next few centuries as French and Ottoman troops seized the village under the command of Hayreddin Barbarossa in 1543, and Louis XIV destroyed the castle and walls surrounding the village in 1706 during the War of the Spanish Succession. Finally, in April 1860, Èze was designated as part of France by a unanimous vote by the people of Èze.