Inside the French Riviera
Experiences of an Outsider
I never planned to write a book about the French Riviera.
I simply stayed.
Stayed long enough for the shine to wear off.
Long enough to realise that paradise, like most beautiful things, comes with conditions.
And long enough to understand that living somewhere is very different from visiting it.
Inside the French Riviera – Experiences of an Outsider grew out of that staying.
Out of running a hotel, dealing with paperwork, neighbours, courts, harbours, conversations behind closed shutters — and the peculiar mix of charm and menace that seems uniquely local.
This is not a guidebook.
It will not tell you where to eat, what to see, or how to fall in love with the place.
It tells you what happens after the dream: when the Riviera becomes daily life.
Some stories are light.
Some are uncomfortable.
Most are quietly absurd.
Every year millions of people arrive here, convinced they have found something special.
A surprising number decide to stay.
This book is about what comes next.
The book is now available on Amazon.
Thank you to those who are already reading — and to those who are simply curious enough to look beyond the view.
—
Arnold Verhoeven
