3 ms·
Where I grew up. I always wince at the name "English Riviera" though.
by rjh29 3y ago
Where I grew up. I always wince at the name "English Riviera" though.
- gerdesj 3y agoWhere did you grow up? Côte d'Azur? Right, let's dig into the authoritative source of all knowledge ... Wikipedia! According to that: "Riviera is an Italian word that originates from the ancient Ligurian territory of Italy" So the French region that Torbay riffs on is also itself riffing on an Italian region. and: "The Côte d'Azur (coast of azure) is a nickname given by France to the County of Nice after its annexation in 1860, because the climate was similar to that of the north of Italy," When you look at it like that: English/Devon/Torbay Riviera is simply following a proud European tradition. Riviera is simply a generic term (originates from Italian) for a region with a specific climate. If you read further through the WP article it seems that Brits were involved in the original use of the term and that explains why we would designate a similarly named region here. No need to cringe.
- seszett 3y ago> So the French region that Torbay riffs on is also itself riffing on an Italian region. Maybe nitpicking but the French Riviera is just the (now) French side of the "original" Riviera. It's not a reference to a different place. Nice used to be part of Liguria before the 1860 annexation and the English simply kept refering to it as Riviera (while the French, including locals, only call it Côte d'Azur).
- gerdesj 3y agoOur parent is almost certainly a Devonian. My mum was born in Dartmouth. I went to school in Newton Abbot. I understand why using the term Riviera might look a bit naff for Torbay - hence the cringe. Riviera is still an Italian term, regardless of where it is applied - France or Inglaterra.