Detour #361: Action in the Alpes Maritimes, France
Photo Shutterstock
High in the hills above the Mediterranean is a road that’s seen its share of cinematic stunts.
The remarkable Route de Gentelly is where Pierce Brosnan as 007 in his Aston Martin DB5 duels Famke Jannsen’s Xenia Onatopp in her Ferrari F355 in Goldeneye and where Jean Reno in a Mercedes S-Class chases down a Peugeot 405 and Citroen Xantia while Robert de Niro launches a rocket from its sunroof in Ronin.
The Ronin chase begins in Nice, but it’s the medieval walled village of Vence, some 20 miles further inland, where the real fun starts. As soon as you leave Vence you’re climbing. The going is gentle to begin with but soon becomes ever more curvaceous as you gain altitude.
Switchback sequences start coming thick and fast and you won’t be surprised to know that this section of the road up to Col de Vence is a rallying regular. There’s precious little room for sliding sideways though and just a low concrete wall to protect you from tumbling down should a mistake be made.
There’s some 16 miles of terrific turns until you reach the village of Gréolières. Only around 400 people live here, but there are still four rather nice restaurants to choose from should you fancy calling “cut” for a while.
Next, it’s another 10 miles of bend after bend, rising higher and higher until you reach the end of the road at Gréolières-les-Neiges. As the name suggests it’s a small ski resort, usually open between December and March each year.
At this point all that’s left is to turn around and enjoy the run down again. For once, it’s a sequel that’s every bit as exciting as the original.
ROADBOOK
CLASS: Mountain PASS
NAME: Route de Gentelly
ROUTE: Vence to Gréolières-les-Neiges
COUNTRY: France
Distance: 27 Miles
High in the hills above the Mediterranean is a road that’s seen its share of cinematic stunts.