Au pays de Cocagne : principauté de Monaco

A vivid, nostalgic memoir invites listeners to step back to the unspoiled Riviera of the late‑nineteenth century, when lemon groves and wild cacti framed modest villages along the Mediterranean. The narrator, returning from exile, writes to an old comrade about the simple pleasures of sun‑drenched beaches, modest taverns, and the slow, fragrant journeys by carriage that once linked Nice, Monaco and the pine‑laden cliffs. He paints a picture of modest villas, humble inns, and lively locals whose carefree lives were untouched by the later surge of tourism and opulent salons.

The prose combines lyrical observation with gentle humor, recalling the contrast between the rugged, authentic landscape and the creeping influence of fashionable outsiders. Listeners will feel the warm breezes, hear the clatter of horse‑drawn carriages, and sense the quiet dignity of an era when the Côte d’Azur was still a hidden treasure, waiting to be rediscovered through the author’s affectionate recollections.