MONACO NEIGHBOURHOOD
If your birthrite is a majestic hill within sight of the landing of Saint-Paul on the shores of the
Mediterranean; if you are blessed with a magical landscape and nature at its most generous giving
rise to orchards, grapes and olives, truffles and honey; if your neighbours are Cannes and Monte-
Carlo and celebrities adore you; if fortune smiles upon you with the best light in the Mediterranean
so Matisse and Picasso and great artists flock to you, and if your fountains and wash-houses have
been blessed through history with water from an aqueduct from Vence, then you are a prized jewel in
the crown of the French Riviera and your name is Saint-Paul de Vence — and more than two million
people come to visit you each year. 2000 years of evolution created this jewel from the early Ligurian
tribes who erected a fortress on the hill then called Plateau de Saint-Puy, to the Saint-Paul de Vence
that invites you to visit today.
french-riviera-blog.com
Если город зародился на величественном холме, где, по преданию, бывал апостол Павел, совершавший
миссионерские поездки по Средиземноморью; если природа одарила эти места восхитительным
пейзажем, пышными садами, виноградниками, оливковыми деревьями, трюфелями и медом; если по
соседству расположены блистательные Канны и шикарный Монте-Карло и сюда обожают приезжать
знаменитости; если городу удалось завоевать сердца многих великих художников, в числе которых
Матисс и Пикассо; если здешние фонтаны и лавуары (старинные прачечные) снабжаются водой из
акведука Ванс, значит, этот город — Сен-Поль-де-Ванс, драгоценная жемчужина в короне Французской
Ривьеры, куда ежегодно приезжают более двух миллионов туристов. Две тысячи лет назад лигурийские
племена воздвигли на этом холме крепость, которая позже называлась Плато де Сен-Пюи, а сегодня
уникальный и неповторимый Сен-Поль-де-Ванс открывает гостям свои двери.
Panoramic view of Saint-Paul de Vence and its surroundings
O
ne of the finest medieval towns on the
French Riviera, it is celebrated for its
contemporary art museums and gal-
leries such as Fondation Maeght which is locat-
ed nearby. The town is located just 15 minutes’
drive from the Mediterranean on top of a large
hilly mound on which a Roman oppidum was
built, followed by a medieval castle dominated
in the Middle Ages by the Counts of Provence.
In the 16th century, King Francis I ordered built
the impressive city walls and fortifications that
still stand today.
110 / Hello Monaco Winter 2019–2020
www.hellomonaco.com
In the 19th century, the artists started to ar-
rive, attracted by the light and the beautiful
architecture of the village. Paul Roux, owner of
the future «La Colombe d’Or» Hotel (the very
famous hotel and restaurant at the entrance
to the village), decided to house some artists
for free in exchange for some of their paintings.
Through the 20th century, actors, artists and
novelists made Saint-Paul into the lively cul-
tural centre that you will find when you visit.
The streets of Saint-Paul de Vence were ac-
tually earth until the beginning of the 1950s,
when Mayor Marius Issert had them overlaid
with cobbles positioned in floral patterns in the
Provencal tradition — and wow did that make
a difference. It is beautifully done — worth a
visit in itself.
The 1950s and ’60s were when the village came
into its Golden Age. Saint-Paul became an amazing
film set with Jacques Prévert, Henri-Georges Clou-
zot and André Cayatte. James Baldwin and Marc
Chagall lived in the village for almost 20 years.