dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Saint-Tropez
From a fortified privateer town in the sixteenth century to a simple fishing village in the early twentieth, Saint-Tropez has known a singular destiny, revealed by the pointillist painters then magnified by cinema in the 1950s and 1960s. The old port, lined with colourful façades and impressive yachts, remains the beating heart of the town, extended by the picturesque lanes of the Ponche district, last witness of the original fishing village. The sixteenth-century citadel, which overlooks the bay from the heights, now houses the maritime history museum and offers a full panorama over the town and the gulf. Despite a renown that has become worldwide, Saint-Tropez has kept its Baroque church with its characteristic Provençal bell tower and the atmosphere of an authentic Var village, between morning market and pétanque on Place des Lices.
