Village de Saint-Paul de Vence

The hinterland of Nice; the urban landscape gives way to hills lined with olive trees and cypresses. It is from the departmental road that Saint-Paul-de-Vence reveals itself, bathed in daylight or the nocturnal glow of its illuminated ramparts. Set amidst its lush greenery, this stone gem elegantly embodies the memory of a millennium as a frontier town; of a farming community devoted to perfume and of artists in love. Signac, Dufy, Soutine… The great masters were not mistaken when, at the turn of the century, the landscapes and the intensity of the colours still occupied their easels. At Robinson’s, which would become the Auberge La Colombe d’Or in 1932, bonds of friendship were forged around the Roux family, who still own the premises today. The warm hospitality, combined with Titine Roux’s Provençal cuisine, charmed Matisse, Picasso, Léger and Chagall, who were soon joined by the artists involved in the Maeght couple’s visionary project. Today, the artistic adventure continues through the vibrant programmes of the Maeght Foundation and the recently established CAB Foundation, dedicated to design and minimalist art. Once through the monumental gate and past its imposing crenellated tower, one enters Rue Grande and its maze of adjacent alleyways. Amidst the village’s stone buildings, history and art continue their dialogue: at the Chapel of the White Penitents, Folon’s figures take flight; Prévert’s house attracts poets from all over the world; whilst the galleries and studios give pride of place to creativity. At noon, as the church bell tolls, a game of boules springs to life; just like the stars of the silver screen, a few minutes on a terrace are enough to succumb to the authentic and unique charm of Saint-Paul-de-Vence.