The village of Opio lies at the heart of a wooded region of pines, arbutus and cork oaks, which benefit from an exceptional climate. Thanks to this, the village's activities have long been based on the production of flowers for the perfumers of Grasse, as well as olive oil. As a result, the landscape around Opio has been shaped by the cultivation of jasmine and the Centifolia rose. This 'hundred-leaf' rose, in reference to its large number of petals, is very delicate. It was already known in Roman times. The winding road leads the visitor to the tiny village overlooking the plain and former market gardening land, now occupied by the Grande Bastide golf course. From the small square next to Saint-Trophime church, Place Jacques Henri Lartigue, named after the famous photographer who lived in Opio, you can admire the green landscape of the Opio plain, with the tiled roofs of the houses in the foreground and the peaks of the Esterel in the distance. Opposite the church is the town hall, against which stands the former bishop's castle. A funerary stele is set into a corner of the building. Opio is also home to La Grande Bastide, one of the department's largest olive groves. the commune is home to 2,200 inhabitants. A little history. In the Bronze Age, an oppidum built by a Celto-Ligurian tribe occupied the village's present-day site. It is said to have given its name to the commune. This fortified camp was destroyed in 165 BC by the Roman legions of Consul Lucius Opimius. Until the 10th century, the region suffered invasions by Visigoths and Ostrogoths, as well as several incursions by Saracens. They were expelled by William1st, Count of Provence, in the 10th century. A period of stability followed, during which the fiefdom of Opio was attached to the episcopate of Antibes. From the 12th century to the French Revolution, following wars between the Counts of Provence and the Republic of Genoa, Opio came under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Grasse. Like many villages in the region, Opio was deserted by its inhabitants, due to the wars and the plague epidemic of the 15th century. It wasn't until the 17thcentury that Opio saw the arrival of a seigneur appointed by Louis XIII, Antoine Godeau. A member of the Académie française and author of numerous works on church history, Antoine Godeau was finally consecrated bishop in 1636. Between 1640 and 1650, he visited Opio several times and requested that Saint-Trophime be featured on the church's altarpiece.

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La plaine d'Opio. Bernard Croisé

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