The Cote d'Azur boasts an exceptional climate which has contributed largely to its fame for almost two centuries. Open onto the sea, Nice and its neighbouring towns, including Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, are protected from the wind by the nearby mountains, to the west by the Massif de l'Estérel and to the north-west by the boundary of the Alps at Mercantour. The climate, always mild in Winter, is never too hot in the Summer, thanks to the sea breeze. It's not unusual to eat outside, wearing nothing more than a T-shirt, in the middle of February, whilst the rest of France is fighting off the cold.