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Collioure
Collioure is a Mediterranean commune of the Pyrénées-Orientales, about 24 kilometres from Perpignan, with a little over 2,700 inhabitants. Its royal castle is already mentioned in 673; it was rebuilt between 1242 and 1280 under the kings of Majorca. After the French conquest of 1642 and the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, Vauban profoundly reworked its fortifications.
In the early twentieth century, the light of the Vermilion Coast attracted Matisse and Derain, who carried out their Fauvist experiments there. The coloured façades of the fishermen's houses, the harbour, the beach and the bell tower of the church of Notre-Dame-des-Anges, which once served sailors as a landmark, form a much-photographed setting. In 2024, the village was voted the French people's favourite village in a television competition.
The commune is also known for fishing and the preparation of anchovies, as well as for its terraced vineyard, which produces wines of the Collioure appellation, shared with Banyuls-sur-Mer. The neighbouring rocky coast is listed as a Natura 2000 site. In summer, the village is very busy: the early hours of the day are calmer.
