Having spotted a walled village high on a hill close to our camp in Colle de Loup, but being unsure as to the name of the village we decided to follow our noses and winding upwards we eventually found ourselves at the medieval village of St Paul de Vence.

 At this point I remembered reading about the artists of St Paul. Obviously a popular tourist destination – by the number of tour buses pouring out the French tourists and the very full car small car park. Fortunately finding a space to park we made our way towards the town, passing the boules pitches, with boules just asking to be played, on the way.

The entrance to the village revealed beautifully artistic pavements.”…

We walked around the ramparts, with the rain last night the views were clear of the haze we have had for the last few days, and we could see as far as the sparkling Mediterranean sea and the mountains behind us. 


The walk round the perimeter of the town via the walls was quiet in the main and we marvelled at the views and old houses which held artists galleries of many descriptions, paintings, pottery, sculpture – modern, traditional and all stages between.

Venturing further into the shade of the town and the small alleyways there were lots of small restaurants doing a brisk trade and many different arty shops with only a few typical souvenir shops. 

 Busier now, with all those bus passengers vying to get their souvenirs before heading off to their next stop. 

There were sculptures and statues placed strategically around the town, 

one even looking as though it was about to dive of the walls! 

 All-in-all an interesting visit and despite the number of tourists not overly commercialised.