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St Paul de Vence
2010-11-09 09:51
Breathe the name of St Paul de Vence and you conjure up the ghosts of some of the most famous names in European art, chief among them Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Henri Matisse and notably Marc Chagall, who is buried in the town cemetery.
The extraordinary legacy of these artists has made St Paul a pilgrimage site for thousands of artists and art lovers, for whom it remains the most creative town outside Paris. But it's also a fantastic day-trip from Monaco, well worth making for any visitor, but especially those who enjoy galleries and art collecting.
Parts of this mediaeval hilltop town, such as its defensive Tour de Fondule, date back to the 14th century, and the town's history during those warlike times can be well imagined from the fortified walls, which give superb panoramic views of the surrounding countryside.
Saint-Paul has always been a centre of skilled craftwork: weaving, woodwork, glassmaking, jewellery and ceramics. With or without its famous visitors and inhabitants, St Paul would still have been what it is today: a vibrant community of painters, sculptors, ceramicists. Modern, contemporary, abstract or figurative, working in tiny studios or 'ateliers' within the walls or, like the impressionists, 'en plein air', they continue to keep alive an inspiring tradition.
But it doesn't stop there. St Paul is also home to the great Fondation Maeght, one of Europe’s most significant collections of paintings, drawings and sculpture. Nearly a quarter of a million visitors each year flock here to see work by such luminaries of their art as Giacometti, Miro, Chagall and Alexander Calder.
Their work also hangs on the walls or stands in the gardens of the Colombe d'Or, the ancient inn which attracted the artists in the first place and is now considered something of a shrine
Getting there:
Saint-Paul is located between La Colle-sur-Loup and Vence, just 15 minutes from the motorway. The journey can be difficult by public transport, so think of hiring a car
or taking a taxi.
by train and bus: from Monaco or Nice to Caganes sur Mer. Then take the bus line 400 to St Paul or taxi.
by car: from Nice motorway A8 exit number 48; from Cannes exit number 47: Villeneuve Loubet/Cagnes sur Mer then follow signs to Saint Paul