St. Paul De Vance, France

A friend had told my friend that recently some book came out talking about shades of a hazy color and in this said book, one of the characters had a wonderful experience in a cute French town and I thought, why don’t I just show you how it really is.

Buried in the heart of the Cote D’Azure lies a fortified gem, perched on a narrow spur between two deep valleys… St. Paul De Vance.

As you soon as you step foot into this medieval village, you feel as if a movie set had been created in your honor and patiently awaited your arrival.  It is quite spectacular.  Full of winding cobblestones alleyways, almost reminiscent of  a labyrinth, speckled with adorable galleries and charming french bistros, this village definitely makes you feel as if you have been transported into another lifetime.  A stroll through this old town reveals elegant fountains, statues tucked into nooks in the walls and long-lived facades cloaked in magnificent amounts of ivies and flowers. There are breathtaking views of mountains and sea.  Even the ground below is attractive, as the cobblestones are laid into the shapes of flowers.

Unfortunately depending on the time of the year you are visiting,  St. Paul De Vance can become quite touristy.  So here are a couple other options less known to the public:

- Vence, 3 km up the road, is also beautiful, more relaxed, has more realistic shops and art galleries, and fine terrace cafés.

- Tourrettes-sur-Loup, another 3 km west of Vence, is small and picturesque like St. Paul, but with far fewer tourists, and the artisanal shops there are run by the artists themselves.

I still highly recommend visiting St. Paul De Vance regardless of the other patrons attendance.  After all, if the city is beautiful enough for one of he most successful artists of all time - painter Mark Chagall - to be buried in the Saint Paul-de-Vence cemetery, I can imagine you might want to add it to your bucket list. (At the entrance, take the first right and the next left. Chagall has a simple white tomb. The small stones are added by visitors as tributes). Also, make sure to eat at the Colombe d’Or and marvel at the amazing art collection—Picasso and his peers once swapped their work for food.  Bisous NYS