Best for a local foodie experience: Marché Forville

At the foot of Le Suquet is Cannes’ beating heart: the Marché Forville (Forville Market)

“You’ll want to go see the old town’s market,” Bastoni says, to truly get the feel of the Côte d’Azur life and step into a local’s shoes.

Over in Forville, a sturdy, orange-coloured edifice, the wafting scent of garlic and parsley mix with the catch of the day.

While French cuisine is typically renowned for its fussy, buttery profile, the food of the Côte d’Azur – as Bastoni notes – has a leaner, more fragrant note.

“Ours is a Mediterranean cuisine,” Bastoni says. “We don’t have a lot of heavy, creamy food. Our kitchen has lots of fish, olive oil, vegetables and fresh produce. It’s all about freshness and aromatic herbs.”

Stock up on local specialties from fougasse – the French cousin of Italy’s focaccia — to socca (chickpea pancakes) and a home-made aioli garlic dip.

Address: 6 Rue du Marché Forville, 06400

Website: https://www.marcheforville.com/

Just off Cannes’ Point Croisette peninsula, the Lérins Islands are impossibly idyllic, surrounded by swirling shades of turquoise sea, secluded beaches and covered in lush Mediterranean brush.

But their history, Bastoni points out, is decidedly less dreamlike.

“The first and biggest island, Île Sainte-Marguerite, used to be a prison,” he says.

Indeed, the 17th-Century Fort Royal – perched on the side of Sainte-Marguerite – was contested between the Spanish and the French, and once hosted many noteworthy inmates, including Louis XIV’s Man in the Iron Mask.

Things take a holier turn in the neighbouring île Saint-Honorat, where 21 monks live in a 5th-Century Cistercian Abbey.

“The monks even have their own winery,” Bastoni says – one that dates back 1,000 years.

As Bastoni remarks, the islands make for the perfect out-of-town excursion providing scenic natural trails with a history lesson on the side. And while they maintain their unspoilt, rustic appearance, the islands are not immune from high-profile incursions – meaning you might spot a celebrity in the wild.

“Over at [Sainte-Marguerite]’s La Guérite restaurant, you have Elton John as a customer,” Bastoni says. “He went two years in a row.”

A weekend in the French Riviera would not be complete without nighttime revelry – and, with its sunset-primed views over the sweeping bay and Le Suquet, Medusa offers the perfect location for a glam night on the town.

“Medusa is a restaurant that turns into a club,” Bastoni says, much like many other beachfront clubs in the town. Located on Point Croisette, Medusa attracts throngs of tourists because of its now-legendary reputation as a premier venue. But it’s also renowned for its Mediterranean-Asian fusion food, made by Greek chef Yannis Kioroglou.

With an entrance fee of €55 Medusa isn’t for those on a budget. And younger clientele may eschew Medusa for hip clubs like Bâoli and Bisous Bisous, which play house music.

But Medusa, for Bastoni, remains iconic, for one reason: “It’s the cabaret show,” he says, which starts as the restaurant metamorphoses into a club.

And it’s not just any cabaret. With pyrotechnics and elaborate costumes, Medusa’s shows do not skimp on high production values.

“Medusa is just a beautiful place,” Bastoni says.

Website: https://medusacannes.com

Address: Palm Beach, Place Franklin Roosevelt, 06400