Entrevaux, France

On 13/08/2020
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Entrevaux. I love the place.

There are lots of great reasons to venture to this isolated, hidden gem of a village. There is the medieval gate complete with a moat! There are the charming, narrow, meandering cobblestone streets (exclusively pedestrian) bordered by tall, narrow houses. There is a lovely cathedral. And then there is the 17th century Citadel and ramparts fortified by the renowned military architect Vauban during the reign of Louis the 14th. You could spend a entire day here and not get bored.

The ride to Entrevaux isn't boring either. From every direction there are lovely twisty roads that are a joy to ride, through river gorges or mountain passes. From my home, the ride takes over 90 minutes.

But the real surprise in Entrevaux is the excellent motorcycle musem, established by Monsieur Lucani and his son in 1981. Filled (literally) to the rafters with an extraordinary variety of motorcycles and motorized bicycles ranging from the beginning to mid-20th century, I have seen marques here that are rarely seen elswhere. Brands like: Frejus, Radior, Ratier, Nimbus, Panther, Alpine, Dresch, and then more common ones (at least in Europe) such as: Bianchi, Excelsior, Aermacchi, Peugeot, Moto Bécane, Dollar and of course, Ducati and Moto Guzzi. An unexpected find here is a beautifully restored 1917 Harley-Davidson. There are over 75 bikes in this cramped village home, accompanied by assorted motorcycle paraphenalia like motors and advertising material. The museum is only open a few hours a day in the summer (and only on weekends in the winter), admittance is free, but donations are happily accepted. For a motorcycle enthusiast like myself, it's a little slice of heaven.

I had the chance to interview Madame Lucani, and film an overview of the museum. The lighting was not too compatible with my GoPro... but it gives you an idea of what can be seen here.