Saint-Paul or Saint-Paul-de-Vence is a commune only about 20 km away from the house. One of the oldest medieval towns on the French Riviera, it is well known for its modern and contemporary art museums and galleries such as the Fondation Maeght which is located nearby.
The visit to the old city is very enjoyable. Numerous art shops and galleries around to keep you busy for a while. You’ll find great food there — check out the Colombe d’Or for something really special. Oh yes, you definitely will have to reserve if you’re planning to eat there!
If like me, you like the work of Marc Chagall, then you probably know that the artist is resting in the cemetery of Saint-Paul de Vence, overlooking the Mediterranean sea. Yes, he lived in this small village from 1966 until his death in 1985.
This place has been adopted by numerous famous people and artists for quite a while. The list of names is very long… First, Yves Montand and Simone Signoret come to mind, but then there are so many others. Paul Roux, owner of the Colombe d’Or, Jacques Prévert and Pablo Picasso formed a trio of very good friends. From the poor New York neighborhood of Harlem, the American writer, James Baldwin, spent the last 17 years of his life here. And the list goes on and on. Just go there and you’ll see what’s so special about the place.
And by the way, there are still quite a few famous people living around. To give you an idea, the property prices in Saint-Paul-de-Vence have been stable recently, hovering around €10,000 per square meter. Prices of medium-sized villas in good locations are between €2 and €5 million and up!
