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According to property search agency totallynice.com more and more of their clients are moving to the Riviera while they control their job or business in London, New York or Tokyo remotely. But one of the main reasons for the growth in this area is Nice’s accessibility to the rest of the world through its international airport. The second busiest terminal in France, Nice now has direct flights to America, Dubai and almost every capital city in Europe. These days it’s not inconceivable that you could run a successful business from Nice over the internet, fly to meet your customers anywhere in Europe and be back in Nice in the evening. 

Another of Nice’s new breed of young entrepreneurs says the laidback lifestyle in a modern stable country like France is part of the reason the Riviera is booming. 

Mathieu Jourdan-Gassin who was born in Nice but owned and operated a successful business for many years in Atlanta, Georgia says that “in a world of uncertainty many people have decided to carry on their jobs, businesses and professions – but on their terms. They want to enjoy the good life while they can, and the Riviera helps them do that”. Mathieu, who now owns a property development and construction company, returned to Nice with an American wife, an American understanding of customer service and an American sense of optimism. He agrees that running a successful company from the Riviera and also enjoying a fabulous lifestyle can be completely compatible. He adds “ as the world has becomes a more complex place to live and work in, mixing a day of business with an afternoon in an art gallery or on the beach, is reaping dividends for many of my clients, they are more relaxed and focused and therefore better at managing their life and their business or careers”. 
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After hearing too many horror stories from his English-speaking friends about disreputable builders and developers in the South of France the ever smiling Mathieu decided to start his own property and construction business based in Nice. He now works exclusively for foreign buyers (mostly Americans and Brits.) redecorating, renovating or completely rebuilding their apartments and villas. (mathieuone2@aol.com) Not surprisingly his business is booming as he brings North American and British business practices to the South of France.  Another man who has moved successfully to the Riviera is John Clavis a self-made millionaire who created a business in London’s financial district as a leverage expert between large institutional investors and smaller companies. Two years ago, at the age of 43 John sold a major part of his company to a Canadian merchant bank (for a large and undisclosed sum of money) and decided Nice was the place to settle. He is still on the board of his old company and keeps in contact via the internet on a daily basis.  John and his wife eschewed the traditional millionaire’s move to the sun, ignoring Spanish Villas or Barbados mansions and bought a stunning Belle Époque apartment in downtown Nice from property finders totallyNice.com. The Clavis’s are major outdoor activity freaks with a love of cycling that borders on the obsessive and he cites his choice of Nice as a place to live because of its closeness and accessibility to wonderful outdoor activities, while back at home in their apartment a more lavish lifestyle is available on every corner. John’s favorite destination on the Cote d’Azur is the magnificent Gorge du Verdun in the hills behind St.Tropez.  The Gorge is only 21 kilometers long but reaches depths of over a mile and is a unique phenomenon in Europe. The route to the gorge along the Corniche Sublime has unparalleled views into the deeply shadowed world at the base of the canyon a thousand and more meters below. This place is a paradise for climbers, walkers and cyclists from all over the world. At the end of the gorge is the translucent Lac de Ste Croix, a huge and beautiful man-made lake-reservoir. And for the less active the lake has excellent little beaches for picnics and a refreshing swim, and you can even hire small electric boats and glide serenely into the underworld of the Gorge itself. But for the Clavis’s a sixty-kilometer bike ride and a quick 10-kilometer hike in the gorge is a frequent activity usually all done before lunch.

Another man who has moved successfully to the Riviera is John Clavis a self-made millionaire who created a business in London’s financial district as a leverage expert between large institutional investors and smaller companies. Two years ago, at the age of 43 John sold a major part of his company to a Canadian merchant bank (for a large and undisclosed sum of money) and decided Nice was the place to settle. He is still on the board of his old company and keeps in contact via the internet on a daily basis. 

John and his wife eschewed the traditional millionaire’s move to the sun, ignoring Spanish Villas or Barbados mansions and bought a stunning Belle Époque apartment in downtown Nice from property finders totallyNice.com. The Clavis’s are major outdoor activity freaks with a love of cycling that borders on the obsessive and he cites his choice of Nice as a place to live because of its closeness and accessibility to wonderful outdoor activities, while back at home in their apartment a more lavish lifestyle is available on every corner.

John’s favorite destination on the Cote d’Azur is the magnificent Gorge du Verdun in the hills behind St.Tropez. 

The Gorge is only 21 kilometers long but reaches depths of over a mile and is a unique phenomenon in Europe. The route to the gorge along the Corniche Sublime has unparalleled views into the deeply shadowed world at the base of the canyon a thousand and more meters below. This place is a paradise for climbers, walkers and cyclists from all over the world. At the end of the gorge is the translucent Lac de Ste Croix, a huge and beautiful man-made lake-reservoir. And for the less active the lake has excellent little beaches for picnics and a refreshing swim, and you can even hire small electric boats and glide serenely into the underworld of the Gorge itself.

But for the Clavis’s a sixty-kilometer bike ride and a quick 10-kilometer hike in the gorge is a frequent activity usually all done before lunch.

Like all new converts John is an ardent proselytizer about his new life on the Cote d’Azur and has convinced a number of friends and family to also make the move to Nice. Most mornings John can bee seen taking a brisk walk through the Old Town of Nice up the steep incline to the Colline du Chateau with the reward for all that exercise being the views stretching all the way to Cannes across the terracotta rooftops of the Old Town. One of John’s favorite stops on his way back home is the Cave de la Tour on the Place de la Tour in the Old Town. This quirky establishment sells some of the best quality bulk wine in Nice. Take your own liter bottle and have it filled-up with their very agreeable red, white or rose wine for just 1.80 euros.

The Clavis’s both say that the move to Nice has been the best thing they have ever done. John rather astutely claims there are many more subtle benefits associated with the move, including bringing his extended family closer together. His in-laws, cousins, brothers and sisters regularly join them in Nice where they are entertained in fine style. John says they see more of their family now they are in Nice then they did when they all lived in London. And with so many things to do on their doorstep none of his visitors are ever bored or underfoot. 

Nice and the Cote d’Azur have completely transformed over the last 10 years and the region is once again one of the most stylish and fashionable places to visit. But there is a lot more to this area than the shallowness of a millionaire’s playground. Geology has produced one of the most beautiful places on the planet, history has produced one of the most interesting and diverse destinations, and money and glamour is the icing on the cake. The South can at times be a contrary and contradictory place, but in my mind, in a world that is becoming more and more bland and homogeneous this is what makes it one of the best places to live in the world. 

To say the Riviera has returned to its halcyon days is an understatement and if the French Paradox had to be summed-up in a phrase it would be “quality over quantity” and this is a perfect way of viewing the Riviera. It mightn’t be the largest resort area in the world, but its compact geography and magic makes it accessible and renowned the world over as the most desirable of Mediterranean destinations.

But don’t take my word for it - speak to the likes of John Clavis, Mattieu Jourdan-Gassin and Michael Furness who are part of the largest foreign invasion to the Riviera in history. For these people and many thousands like them their pioneering move to the South of France has offered new and unchartered opportunities and has, they say, changed them for the better. 

Links to other related sites and resources: Jean Taquet's Insider Guide to Living in France - Jean Taquet's Insider Guide to Living in France - This is not a book written by a US College drop out, this fully detailed Ebook is written by a French jurist and associate member of the Delaware Bar Association, specializes in civil, criminal and commercial law. He frequently gives courses about the legal system in France and speaks regularly at Working, Living and Investing in France conferences - If you want to live in France - get this report!  Headed For France? Don't even think of going to Paris without Adrian Leeds World Famous Paris Restaurant Guide - Get Adrian Leeds World Famous Paris Restaurant Guide - Parisians do it and you can do it, too -- have a great three course meal with wine and coffee in Paris for between $10 and $35 including tax and tip! Adrian Leeds has been scouting good-value restaurants in Paris for more than nine years. The Leeds Good Value Guide to Paris Restaurants is her on-going effort to bring you secrets to great dining in all the districts of Paris. There are more than 200 good-value restaurants in the guide -and she samples each and every one and only recommends the best. The Insider Guide To Black Paris - The Insider Guide To Black Paris - Now the cultural hub for English-speaking Blacks -- Africans, African-Americans, West Indians, Blacks from the UK and Canada -- Paris is home. When Melinda Herron first came to Paris twenty years ago, she wanted to know where the Black hair salons were, where you could go to listen to Black music, where you could buy foods like sweet potatoes, corn meal and black-eyed peas. Even though she thoroughly enjoyed Paris and all it had to offer culturally, it was essential somehow to get a taste and feel for "back home." So, just like many sojourners who arrive in a new city, it became important for her to connect with other Blacks in order to transform that feeling for community in a living reality. The Writers Insider Guide To Paris - The Writers Insider Guide To Paris - This guide will set you off on the right footing by bringing to your attention all the international and French resources available to writers in Paris which might otherwise take you many pains and hours of research to locate. The guide also directs you toward the active community of writers currently located in Paris: i.e. the journals, bookstores, cafes, and soirées where you can seek support, listeners, and public outlets for your work.  Moving To France ~ Living In France ~ Real Estate In France ~ Moving To France ~ Living In France ~ Real Estate In France

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