Saint-Tropez, a village and a myth

Saint-Tropez... a small paradisiac place ! Saint-Tropez owes his international fame to the painters who passed there, and not with the nice "zazous" of the Fifties!

Visits of saint-tropez  Discover an authentic architectural and historical heritage, with Saint-Tropez interpret guides.  Annonciade Museum : Artists for colour, The Annonciade Museum is an extremely brilliant reminder that the village of Saint-Tropez was one of the most active centres of the pictorial avant-garde of the beginning of the 20th century, thanks to Paul Signac who, in 1892, discovered the little fishing port while sailing his yacht Olympia. , Signac fell under the spell of the area and bought a home there la Hune which became his studio, to which be invited many artists : Cross, Matisse, Derain, Marquet.

Citadelle museum & pierre-andré statue  In 1993, the Army sold the building and the grounds to the Town who got them listed in 1995.  On The Old Harbour is dominated by the statue of Pierre- André de Suffren, erected on the instigation of Emperor Napoleon III in 1866, and made of bronze melted down from pieces of artillery taken in battle with the Royal Navy. Suffren rose to the rank of bailiff in the Order of Saint John of the Cross (Malta), and to that of Rear Admiral in the French "Royale". He was for a while the effective commander-in-chief of the French naval armed forces.

The porte de la poissonnerie  the Porte de la Poissonnerie (with its mosaics and marble slabs decorating the tiny Herbes and its convivial market for fruit flowers; vegetables and regional produce.  Evening and traditional meal on the small seeport of the town.

Place aux herbes & guillaume tour  What to see : place aux herbes, first place for the market.  rue du Marché, then rue des Commerçants and rue Sibille, then right, along rue de l'Eglise to the parish church, its façade surmounted by the statue of Saint Tropez.  Follow rue du Cdt. Guiehard and come out onto Town Hall Square and the contiguous place Garezzio where the oldest building in Saint-Tropez is to be found: La Tour Guillaume  This tower is now generally known as the Suffren Tower because the adjoining mansion was the seat of the Suffren family who were the last Lords of Saint-Tropez the title being abolished under the Revolution

5th day :the house of butterflies  Walk down the shortest street in town, named after Honorat Coste the very first Town Captain nominated in 1558. Several traditional fishing boats (pointus), still plying their trade, can be seen moored in front of the Prudhommie de Pêche (the fishermen's self-regulatory body situated Môle Jean-Réveille.This sea-wall, destroyed during the Allied Landings in August 1944, was rebuilt in 1950, and extended in 1966.  The House of Butterflies : In the middle of a typically tropezian lane a small door opens onto a fabulous collection of butterflies. Inside this antique house, you will find a selection of all the day butterflies of France which have been collected by Dany Lartigue over the past ten years.

The portalet tower  The Portalet Tower was part of the original defensive system completed in the late 15 th century. It is here the Coastal Pathway starts, meandering along the shores of the peninsular. Almost "walking on the water", this path first takes you past the cove named La Glaye (a word from Genoese dialect, meaning "church".  From here, rue d'Aumale and rue des Remparts lead to the imposing mass of Tour Jarlier, the corner stone of the two perpendicular walls which ran down to the sea, completing the fortifications in the late 15th century, and providing an excellent look-out facility on the landward borders of the village.

Les bravades  Every year, May 16-17-18, the people of Saint-Tropez celebrate the Bravades, a ritual which expresses their deep attachment to their military history and above all to their Patron Saint.  This street, which bears witness to the "golden age" of Saint-Tropez, leads to the vast place des Lices. Here, the thick foliage of the plane trees, the breeze and the sunshine conjugate to create an exceptionally luminous aura. This is the privileged venue for the Provençal markets which take place everyTuesday and Saturday morning, and for the lovers of pétanque who foregather every afternoon to play the national game of bowls.