Why go
These episodes turn ordinary-looking coastal places into historical markers. Napoleon arrived here by sea in 1799; later, the Anthéor viaduct became a wartime target, and nearby beaches figured in the 1944 Allied invasion of southern France. The two wartime sites also distinguish this coast from a generic resort history.
The full story
In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte landed at Saint-Raphaël on his return from Egypt before the coup that brought him to power in Paris. At that point, the settlement was a fishing village. The episode ties a small Mediterranean port to a major turn in French history. During the Second World War, the railway along this coast became strategically important. Its viaduct at Anthéor carried the line between Saint-Raphaël and Nice, and Allied aircraft attacked it several times between 1943 and 1944 without severing the link. On 15 August 1944, Allied forces landed along the southern French coast during Operation Dragoon, including sites around Saint-Raphaël. The coast therefore records both the earlier attempt to interrupt German supply and the later landings that began liberation in the south.