Villefranche-sur-Mer, French Riviera, France (© StockByM/Getty Images)

In September, the French Riviera is bathed in a softer light, and the Mediterranean landscape takes on fresher tones after the peak of summer. The hills are scented with Aleppo pine, rosemary and wild thyme. In the hinterland, centuries-old olive trees and hilltop villages tell a story shaped by Greek, Roman and Provençal influences.