Americans and the Making of the Riviera

From the inception of American tourism in the late 18th century, this volume explores over 200 years of American fascination with the French Riviera. Beginning with Thomas Jefferson who visited the south of France in 1787, it follows America's journey from a tourist minority to one of the formative forces of this resort region.

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Led by Cole Porter in the 1920s, Americans demonstrated that the best season to visit the French Riviera was not the winter, as had been the practice, but the summer. With this shift, Americans became the dominant shapers of tourism on the Riviera in the 20th century, yet the American achievement in revolutionizing the economy of the South of France is largely unsung.

This insightful history details the American influence on the Riviera and the contributions of several individuals. It pays particular attention to such writers and artists as Edith Wharton, Gerald Murphy, Henry Clews, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway, whose work drew energy from their stays in the Riviera and in turn helped to cement an idyllic image of the Riviera in the American popular consciousness.