For more than a century, photographers have flocked to the Côte d’Azur not only to enjoy the sea but also to capture the mystique that made the region popular in the first place. A young Charles Nègre was the first to immortalize the Riviera, using the first publicly available photographic process in 1852. Almost a century later, Pablo Picasso drove south with his lover Dora Maar, who shot candid images of friends Eileen Agar, Lee Miller, Man Ray, and André Breton. In 1956, photographers captured topless women smoking cigarettes on the beach, and Roger Vadim cast Brigitte Bardot in his movie And God Created Woman. Suddenly the Riviera became a worldwide sensation. In celebration of a long, sun-soaked legacy, the new coffee-table bookLight on the Riviera collects many of these photographs. Together, they toast la belle vie. ($85, amazon.com) —Elena Clavarino

If you’re looking for a break from champagne, music, and all of St. Tropez’s glitz and decadence, take a 30-minute car ride to the quaint village of La Môle, where Auberge de la Môle has offered up quality homemade dishes since 1962. Guests enter the bar and tabac, where they can stock up on post-pastis cigarettes. In the dining room, indulge in fluffy omelets with cèpes mushrooms, escargots, cuisses de grenouille, and copious amounts of foie gras. Although the inn is located along the road and is easily overlooked, rumor has it that it’s the favorite dinner hideaway of Club 55’s Patrice de Colmont. (facebook.com) —Elena Clavarino

In 1783, Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun’s portrait of Marie Antoinette scandalized Paris’s esteemed Salon visitors, who found the queen’s barely there chemise unbecoming. In response to the outcry, the court artist promptly repainted the oil-on-canvas, adding in a silk robe à la française, plume-trimmed turban, and tiers upon tiers of pearls. The one constant? A pink cabbage rose—the queen’s flower of choice—lightly clutched between her fingertips. It’s fitting, then, that for Trudon’s 380th anniversary, the historic French candle-maker—whose wax creations once illuminated the halls of Versailles—paid tribute to Marie Antoinette with a singular black-currant-and-pink-peppercorn-laced rose scent. Arriving in blush-hued, gold-stamped glass vessels, the celebratory collection’s bougie and matching diffuser are destined to be the jewel in any room’s crown. ($135, trudon.com) —Zoe Ruffner

Those looking for a spring sojourn on the Côte d’Azur, before the summer high season begins and hotel prices skyrocket, may find their plans scuttled by the annual circus of the Cannes Film Festival, during which, for two weeks, the entire Hollywood Industrial Complex descends on the Riviera, booking out hotels, clogging otherwise quaint local roads, and generally causing mayhem. Just in the nick of time, the Cap d’Antibes Beach Hotel has reopened to much fanfare among the transatlantic cognoscenti, who dearly missed its quietly luxurious trappings far from the flashbulb craze of the Croisette. Featuring a stunning wholesale redesign by Bernard Dubois, and a mouthwatering new menu at its flagship restaurant, Les Pêcheurs, the Cap d’Antibes Beach Hotel is the closest you’ll come to settling on the deck of your imaginary yacht, Negroni in hand. (Off-season rooms from $598; high-season rooms from $1,032; capdantibes-beachotel.com) —Harrison Vail

You may have noticed during your scroll down Instagram lane that there are quite a few people going about their daily routine (reading a book, riding the subway) but “making it Wes Anderson.” Unsurprisingly, he has a new movie premiering at the Cannes Film Festival this month. Enter Racquet Rosé, whose Web site takes you to what looks like a members-only club called the Rochambeau Club—a W.A.-worthy take on a tennis club fictitiously located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. The name of the club is taken from the childhood game of rock-paper-scissors, so already it’s an IYKYK rabbit hole. The Web site features a sign-up for membership, a charmingly absurd menu, a map of the club facilities, and, most importantly, the rosé. This lovely little Côtes-de-Provence A.O.P. has notes of white peach and fresh raspberry, an excellent mineral structure, and a refreshing finish. From the minds of entrepreneur Christopher Seddon and AIR MAIL writer Joseph Bullmore, the club may be dubious, but the rosé is real, launching on May 25. ($150 for a case of six, therochambeauclub.com) —Anjali Lewis

There’s no shortage of made-in-France leather sandals, but K. Jacques has been churning them out since founders Jacques and Elise Keklikian opened up shop at 39 Rue Allard, in St. Tropez, in 1933. Ninety years later, it’s owned by the same family, and in addition to selling ready-made styles in all sorts of colors, they offer custom shoes and even repair service. The slip-on Dolon is not only absurdly comfortable but it has thick woven straps that ensure it stays on even when contending with uneven terrain—cobblestone streets or sandy beaches. ($202.03 kjacques.fr) —Ashley Baker