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| Art courtesy Maryanne Jacobsen Fine Art |
We are still deciding where we want to stay in Provence. Some friends of ours, who are very familiar with France, suggested that we stay in the quaint little village of
Saint Paul de Vence
I was not familiar with this tiny little town, and so of course, I needed to investigate. You know by now that any time I investigate, my findings end up on this blog.
Saint Paul de Vence is a charming hilltop fortified village in Provence, full of art galleries, boutiques and sidewalk cafes. Just my kind of place!
The narrow, winding streets reveal elegant fountains, vine-covered stone walls and statues tucked into nooks in the walls. There are breathtaking views of the mountains and the sea. Even the ground below is attractive as the cobblestones are laid into the shapes of flowers.
Saint Paul de Vence is said to be one of the most beautiful villages in Provence. Like many other cities in Provence, the beauty of the surrounding area, quality of life and exceptional light has inspired numerous famous artists, painters, writers and poets, some of whom took up residence in the village.
With all this beauty, what could be wrong you ask? Well, there are a couple of things. One downside to visiting Saint Paul is that you won't be alone. This is a bit of a tourist trap, and can get pretty crowded at times (300 people live within the fortified walls, but 2.5 million tourists visit annually). The other problem is it isn't the easiest town to get to. It is about 166 miles from Avignon (which seems to be a central location for visiting many of the cities in Provence). It also isn't accessible by rail. So, although it is a very beautiful and extremely charming city, we will most likely have to save this one for a future visit.
And...now that you've read this far, why not check out this Cool hotel in Saint Paul de Vence. I would love to stay in this one!
I'm Just Sayin
2 comments:
This takes me back to the trip I made with my Mom. We were staying in Nice, and went up to St. Paul de Vence. We walked all around the walled city checking out the incredible views; watched the old men play petanque from a sidewalk cafe. Then we went over to the nearby Maeght Foundation, a modern art museum (on a high hilltop), featuring the work of Chagall, among others. A wonderful day I will never forget!
There is a bus that runs from Nice to Saint Paul de Vence. At least there was about three years ago.
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