The second largest resort on the French Riviera, Antibes is located on Cape Garoul, halfway between Nice and Cannes. 20 km separates Antibes from the largest resort in France, Nice, and only 12 km from the legendary Cannes. Together with Cape Antibes and the quarter of Joan-les-Pins, Antibes is a single territorial unit with a population of just over 73 thousand people. Territorially, Antibes belongs to the province of Provence in the department of the Maritime Alps.
Antibes was founded in the VI century BC by the ancient Greeks. The Romans called the city Antiboul, the current name of the city acquired already under the rule of the Franks. Exceptionally favorable position of the city made it the center of Mediterranean trade and navigation, which forced to strengthen it with fortifications. Already in the II century the city became a bishopric. In the XI century, Crusader ships departed from the port of Antibes.
The famous landing of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1815 became another glorious page in the history of Antibes, here Napoleon was kept in custody. Until 1860, the town was an important outpost between the French crown and the Italian lands.
