Saint-Paul de Vence: The Cote d’Azur’s ‘artist’s village’

The view of the Artists' Village

When one thinks of the French Riviera, the glamorous and glitzy towns of Cannes, St Tropez and Nice immediately spring to mind. Despite the obvious appeal of these stylish and affluent towns, there are plenty more villages on the Cote d’Azur that are more than worthy of worldwide recognition.

The beautiful hilltop village of Saint-Paul de Vence is one of them.

Boasting incredible views that sprawl down to the glistening Mediterranean Sea below and with fascinating medieval ramparts, Saint-Paul de Vence is a truly remarkable town on the French Riviera to visit.

So what exactly is there to do in the hilltop village of Saint-Paul de Vence?

Meandering through the narrow winding streets

Brimming with elegant boutiques, characterful cafes and charming art galleries, walking down Saint-Paul de Vence’s quaint and narrow streets is a pleasure in itself.

Whether it’s a graceful water fountain or a stone wall covered in vines, you never quite know what you’ll find when you turn corner after corner in this pretty hilltop village.

Exploring the medieval fortress walls

Medieval fortress walls surround Saint-Paul de Vence. The entrance to the town was built in the 1400s. These medieval ramparts feature a canon muzzle, which is a trophy from the Battle of Cerisoles in Italy that took place in 1544.

Buying affordable and thoroughly unique artwork

With such inspiring views, it is hardly surprising that Saint-Paul Vence is known as an “artist’s village’. Art plays a central role in the town and what is particularly refreshing is that arts and crafts in Saint-Paul de Vence offer great value for money.

From intricate and unique jewelry sold on stalls on the street, to compelling paintings of the Cote d’Azur from the elevated perspective of Saint-Paul de Vence from one of the town’s many art galleries, you can find affordable artwork and creative knick-knacks in many different forms in this charming ‘artist’s village’.

Modern, contemporary, fringe, naive… on gallery walls in Saint-Paul de Vence, talented artists from all schools rub shoulders with their illustrious peers including Folon, Tobiasse, César and Niky de Saint-Phalle.

The village is an open-air gallery with artists at work in their studios and staging exciting exhibitions. A painting hung in the morning can find a home before evening falls… if it captures the heart of a visitor.

ITINERARY IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF MARC CHAGALL

« I thank destiny for leading me to the shores of the Mediterranean.», Marc Chagall.

In 1966, Marc and Vava Chagall left Vence to settle in Saint-Paul. They had a big house built on the edge of the village, called La Colline, where Chagall could work - for although the artist was almost 80 his work was very much in demand! Many of the pictures he painted in Saint-Paul are vibrant odes to love: loving couples entwined against calm blue skies, surrounded by birds and bunches of flowers, floating over the village and its ramparts.

Marc Chagall was often to be seen with friends at the Colombe d'Or or the Café de la Place. They included André Verdet and Aimé and Marguerite Maeght, whose house, Le Mas Bernard, was next to the artist's. Several of Marc Chagall's works feature in the Fondation Maeght's permanent collection including Les Amoureux, a big mosaic that welcomes visitors at the entrance to the Foundation, and La Vie, an immense painting whose colours explode on the canvas.

As part of the artist’s route « Live the French Riviera as a work of art », three reproductions of paintings by Chagall are dotted along chemin Sainte-Claire and the roundabout des Trious where the artist used to like to stroll.

You can also have a look at the mosaic “Le fleuve vert” (“The green river”) which stands on the wall of the nursery school. It was made in 1986, a few months after Marc Chagall’s death, from an original lithograph of the artist. Chagall, who loved children, featured the smiling face of a child, symbol of joyfulness.

March Chagall passed away in March, 28th, 1985. He rests in the cemetery of Saint-Paul de Vence, overlooking the Mediterranean sea.