Rue Obscure, a medieval military street hidden beneath a charming French fishing village

2 min read

2 years ago Danilo

A hidden medieval street stretches beneath the old quarter of Villefranche-sur-Mer, a French fishing village created by Charles II of Anjou, Count of Provence in 1295.
The only light to bathe its old stone walls and illuminate its arches comes from the artificial glow of a lamp or maybe from a fleeting flash from a someone’s phone.

In fact, as its name suggests, the “Rue Obscure” is really obscure.
This 130-metre long street located along the rampart and built in 1260 was originally uncovered and used as a defensive passageway which enabled the military to move and make their manoeuvres easier, and now resembles more of a tunnel than a street.
As the years went on, in fact, the military stopped frequenting the street, that fell victim of an uncontrolled urbanization, as a lack of space caused people to begin building over it from the 16th century onwards, and was thus entirely covered.
Jouses and buildings have been built atop it, hiding a large part of it from view and making it difficult to find.
Unless you know where to look.
There are several entry points to it, for example one from Place du Conseil, several from Rue du Poilu, and one almost opposite the “La Caravelle” restaurant.
But just because the street was covered doesn’t mean it became lost.
Instead, it was transformed into the tunnel-like passageway it is today.
Over the years, businesses have used its dank, dark space as a makeshift wine cellar, and locals even once used it as a place to shelter their donkeys and goats.
Located in the Old Town, along the first rampart, and listed as a Historic Monument in 1932, this street was painted by Jean Cocteau, one of the foremost artists of the surrealist, avant-garde, and Dadaist movements and an influential figure in early 20th century art. A replica of his painting can be seen when entering the street, exactly where the artist used to place his easel.