1. EELLAAIINNEE NNGG
traveller@newstoday.com.sg
MENTION the South of France,
and cities such as Nice, Marseille
and Cannes would most likely come
to mind. For the intrepid traveller,
these cities would often be labelled
“too touristy” or “been there, done
that … many times over”.
But who could resist the beach
towns that are synonymous with
summer vacations — the towns that
Parisians flock to once the mercu-
ry moves up. The next time you
find yourself heading south, factor
in extra time to explore the small
quaint towns that add arty and cul-
tural flavours to the Côte d’Azur.
Within the French Riviera and
Southern Alps, about a 45-minute
drive from Nice, Vence is a hilly
town that was once home to writ-
ers D H Lawrence and André Gide.
A must-see is Vence’s biggest tourist
attraction, the Chapelle du Rosaire,
which is regarded as the complete
and final masterpiece of the
renowned artist Henri Matisse.
Matisse is said to have designed
the chapel as a gift of thanks to the
Dominican nuns who cared for him
during the last days of his life. Sit-
uated near the north of the vieille
ville (old town), the white chapel ex-
udes a humble exterior that belies
its stature. Indeed, it took my trav-
el companions and me some re-
lentless searching before we found
the chapel sitting uphill along Av-
enue Henri Matisse.
To soak in more of the mod-
ern art atmosphere, head over to
nearby Saint Paul de Vence, a me-
dieval-like village that is home to
only about 400 residents, best dis-
covered en pied (on foot).
Strolling around the ramparts
with fellow day-trippers makes one
feel guilty at destroying the tran-
quillity of the slumber-town. But
the modern artists’ studios and
shops selling exquisitely-packaged
olive oil, crafts and souvenirs that
exude a certain chi-chi-ness shout-
ing for tourists’ attention eased my
guilt as I got trigger-happy.
The walk around the ramparts
offers magnificent views of the
tiered stone houses that line the
varying contours of the hills. If you
manage to get onto higher ground,
be sure to capture your panoramic
postcard shots spanning from the
Alps to the sea.
For more historical heritage,
don’t miss taking a shot of the ceme-
tery by the Porte de Nice. At the
Cimetière, you will find the tomb of
artist Marc Chagall, who died in
1985.
Another must-see is the Fon-
dation Maeght — home to a per-
manent collection of paintings and
sculptures unique in Europe, from
the works of Giacometti, Miro,
Braque, to Chagall and more.
A word of advice for those com-
ing here during the summer
months: Temperatures could real-
ly soar. I was caught in the middle
of the heat wave and the tempera-
ture reached 41°Celsius at one
point.
Despite the heat, I just had to
sit under the plane trees of one of
the most famous sand-pitches in
the world, sipping my au lait at the
Café de la Place around the Place
de Gaulle, watching clueless as the
folk of St Paul engage in France’s
famous game of pétanque, a form of
lawn bowling.
Here, you take your own sweet
time to explore and to experience
the unique mix of traditional and
modern art, architecture and cul-
ture.
After all, as the local folk say:
“In Saint-Paul de Vence, time is
your best guide.”
Visit quaint towns
which draw visitors
with their arty flavours
and medieval setting
6644 TODAY • Thursday • November 16, 2006
plus traveller
GGEETTTTIINNGG TTOO
SSAAIINNTT--PPAAUULL DDEE VVEENNCCEE::
BByy aaiirr – Nearest airport is Nice
Côte d’Azur Airport.
Take a taxi from there, or bus
number 400 (takes one hour,
eight departures during week-
days and four on weekends)
BByy ttrraaiinn – Nearest station is
Cagnes sur Mer
Then take bus No 400 (Cagnes
sur Mer to Saint-Paul takes
about 15 minutes)
BByy bbuuss from Nice bus station –
Take bus number 400 (bus
departs every 30 to 45 min-
utes).
ELAINE NG
SSOOUUTTHHEERRNN CCHHAARRMM:: SStt PPaauull ddee VVeennccee ((ttoopp)),, tthhee ttoowwnn’’ss nnaarrrrooww llaanneess aanndd aarrtt sshhooppss
((aabboovvee lleefftt)) aanndd tthhee cchhaappeell ddeessiiggnneedd bbyy tthhee aarrttiisstt HHeennrrii MMaattiissssee..
Cote d’Azur’s small delights