Riviera - Jim Ring

Synonymous with starlets, European royalty and the spectacle of the Cannes film festival, the Cte d'Azur has attracted the rich, the famous and the unscrupulous since it was 'discovered' by writers and artists in the late nineteenth century. However, the French Riviera had provided 'a place in the sun' for the English upper classes since the Regency period, lured by mild winters and codes of behaviour less oppressive than those demanded at home.

Queen Victoria was a regular visitor at the end of her reign, and was followed by Renoir, Monet and Picasso, inspired by the magnificent scenery. The playboys and bon-viveurs of the inter-war years in turn gave way to the harshness of the Vichy regime, followed later by the magic - and money - of post-war Hollywood. In later years, high-rise hotels and gaudy fashions may have become the norm, but the French Riviera still retains its glamour and exclusivity.

Jim Ring takes us on a tour of the film stars and politicians, adventurers and eccentrics who visited the coast. An entertaining mix of social and cultural history, Riviera explores the allure of this unique area - an area that, despite continuous reinvention, remains one of the most evocative in the world.