With the meeting of villefranche heart

There is still a sense of the authentic villefranche heart in the old city founded in 1295. let's follow in the littles streets shaded with the shimmering ochre colors, full of shops(craft, art galleries).

The old city step by step  Come to discover...  ... the Rue du Poilu, this street owes its name to the soldiers of the First World War who used it to reach the station from whence a train would carry them off to the Front. It used to be the Rue Droite (Straight Street) in medieval times (Carriere Drecha). Notice the architecture of the houses, the height of windows which decreases from one storey to the next; the irregularity and the height of the stairs leading to the first floor which used to protect dwellings from flooding during heavy rain. Becoming the shopping street, with local products.  ... the Place du Conseil, the square where all the important decisions were made concerning life in the town.

Cocteau in villefranche  The Chapel of Saint Pierre, in a roman style (14th century), decorated by Jean Cocteau (1957-58) and devoted to his friends, the fishermen. Scenes from the life of Peter the Apostle are depicted.  (Closed on Monday and December 25th - Closed from mid-november to mid-december)

The church of saint michel and the rue obscure  The church of Saint Michel : this Baroque style church (18th century) houses a recumbent statue of Christ, an anonymous work sculpted by a galley slave. Admire also the organs built by the Grinda brothers (1790) which are listed historical monuments.  The Rue Obscure (13th century) all that remains of a route running alongside the medieval ramparts. It is covered over a distance of about 130 metres, don't hesitate to explore it from one end to the other.

The citadel  An impressive stone fortress built to defend the old town.  Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy, ordered its construction in 1557. It was subsequently restored and since 1981 it has houses the town hall, a conference center and 4 museums.  Wander along the ramparts and take a look at the gardens of the Open-air Theatre…

Citadel's museums  4 museums :  the VOLTI Foundation (sculptures and drawings of voluptuous women),  the GOETZ BOUMEESTER museum (paintings and collages),  the ROUX collection (ceramic figurines, scenes from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance),  and the 24th Alpine Batallion Memorial hall.  (closed on Tuesday and Sunday morning, closed on November)

The darse royal harbour  Natural harbour, fortified from 1388, by the Dukes of Savoy. In 1713, Dukes of Savoy were Kings of Sardinia, and the Darse become a Royal harbour.  From 1730, the big works started : construction of the lighthouse, the radoub basin, the naval dockyard and the forge. Then, from 1770, the convict prison, the corderie, and the barracks for the officers.  Actually, it’s a marina who kept the heritage of his history past.

Plateau saint michel  The unique panorama of the view-point and the chapel of Saint-Michel