When Pierre arranges to meet you at Le Café de la Place, it's to welcome you as one would welcome friends to one's village. A bottle of water, a welcome message, and then we set off to discover Saint-Paul-de-Vence together.
The first stop involves a slight climb up to the chapels of Sainte-Claire and Saint-Claude Saint-Charles. This is where Pierre begins to tell you about the village, with the first panorama of the ochre rooftops of Saint-Paul in the background. Your first photos start here.
You then head back down to the medieval village. Pierre takes you past La Colombe d'Or, the legendary inn where painters used to pay their bills with paintings. The Porte de Vence welcomes you with its Lacan cannon, a testament to the sieges of the 16th century. You will enter the village commissioned by Francis I.
Along the ramparts, Pierre adapts the route to suit your group: under the walls or along the upper path. You arrive at the viewpoint of the Baous, a panorama of the three mountains and the cemetery below. Here, Pierre tells the storey of the fortifications and what he particularly likes about this place.
The cemetery is worth a visit. There, you can pay tribute to Marc Chagall and the figures who made Saint-Paul what it is. A quieter moment before diving back into the hustle and bustle of the village.
Return via Rue Grande, with its artists' galleries, studios, and contemporary sculptures. Pierre will show you the Placette aux Anneaux à Mulets, the sculpture by Nicolas Lavarenne, and then the Grande Fontaine from 1850, where the people of Saint-Paul have been gathering for four centuries. Beyond the monuments, Pierre tells you about everyday life in the village, free from clichés.
The end of the tour takes you to the top of the village: the Donjon, the Collegiate Church, and then down to the house where Jacques Prévert lived. You'll then head back along Rue Grande in the other direction, with a fresh perspective on the 70 art galleries concentrated within 7 hectares.
Pierre wraps up the tour at the Bastion du Dauphin, at the entrance to the village, with a small gift from Provence to take away. Because you don't leave Saint-Paul-de-Vence empty-handed.