St Paul de Vence
 
In the department of the Alpes Maritime in the Hinterland between Cannes & Nice. By Car take the A8 motorway, By Air 12km from Nice Cote D'Azur airport.
Approx 62km from Domaine du Colombier. Frejus !

History
St Paul de Vence had to live through Roman occupation and Saracen invasions just like the rest of Provence. The Saracens being allies of Bourguignons had to wait until the end of the 10th century before the country was freed by William Count of Provence. The country of Vence was then seperated into 2 families:The Reillane-Vence and the Orange-Mevouillon. The Reillanes were at Vence, Gattieres and Gaude and were there for almost an entire century, until 1382 when after the death of Queen Jean when Provence was divided, under the control of 2 Popes and 2 Houses: The Angevins and the Duras. St Paul and Nice took the side of the Duras, while the region of Grasse took that of the Anjoux (Angevins). The countryside was ravaged by wars. In 1480 it became a county town where it obtained a certain amount of independence. Just like the history of the rest of France St Paul had to live through wars with its neighbouring towns, although its past is associated with that of a border town. The town became anonymous when Napoleon the 3rd created the region (department) of the Alpes Maritime. It only became famous after the first world war when it started to attract artists both established and aspiring, also many people from the literature, painting and cinema world, they all descended here, seeking either inspiration or a setting for their plots!

Leisure / Culture
Today St Paul has approx 3000 habitants. It's a very pleasant place to live and a lovely place to walk around. Recommended is a walk along the ramparts (which date back to the 16th century) these encircle the village and offer spectacular views of the coast, landscape and cypress trees. The village has been heavily restored although its medieval buildings are authentic, like the Chapel of St Michel (founded in 1480), further along is the Porte d'Italie (Italien Door) and its bastions, from here if you follow the rampart pathway 'chemin de ronde de la courtine St Claude you come across an old oven once used for making bread.
From there if you follow the courtine St Trinite (St Trinite rampart pathway) this will take you to the Barry de Flory platform and the courtine St Sebastien (St Sebastien rampart pathway). The northern defenses of St Paul are also in the form of ramparts between two bastions. The square tower was once used as a prison. In the north-west tower just after the St Claire walkway you'll find la Pignatere. (An old pottery). Just before hand is the north door opening onto the town where you'll discover the rest of the ramparts built earlier in the 15th century. To the eastern side is the gateway of France and also where the canon was. To the South the pathways continues until the South West bastion. You'll pass in front of the Town Hall (Marie) which is in an old donjon that dates back to the 16th century, if you continue on a little bit further you come to a 12th century Church (Eglise Collegiale), that has numerous treasures and wonderful paintings on display.
A visit around the chapels is a good excuse for combining a long walk with some sightseeing, you should end up going up the Passe-Prest incline which will take you to the village. From here you can stroll through the small winding streets, one of the best streets is Barcillon, however all around you will find charming alleyways, courtyards, fountains and old stone houses. A place not to be missed is the 'Grand Fountain', this is a charming cobble stoned place that has a pretty urn shaped fountain. Its here in front of the Café de la Place that all the locals meet for their regular chats and games of 'Petanque' (bowls). The highlight of you visit while you are in the St Paul region will surely be to the Maeght Foundation.
Created by Aime and Marguerite Maeght and inaugurated in 1964 by Andre Malraux, this is one of Europe's finest museums/center of modern art. It was designed by the Hispano-American architect Jose Luis Sert, who worked on it directly with artists, sculptors and designers. Both structure and ornamentation were conceived as a single project with the aim of creating a museum in which the concepts of entrance, exit and sense de la visit would not apply. It worked. Chagall's mosaics, Miro's sculptures and mosaics, Tal-Coat's mosaics and stained glass windows, and Ubac's stained glass window and pond. Giacometti's sculptures.
The contemporary art museum has a big collection of painters, sculptures, tapestries, drawings and ceramics by Bonnard, Braque, Kandinsky, Chagall and others. The Maeght foundation also organises for visitors : Summer concerts, ballets/dancing shows, exhibitions, conferences, a library, film theatre where art films are shown…

Sport/ Leisure
Horse riding, a Tennis club and plenty 'off the beaten track' walks at your disposal in order to make your stay in the area an agreeable one.

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