SAINT-PAUL DE VENCE

Loved by generations of artists, this hilltop gem in Alpes Maritimes is just a short bus journey from the bustle of Nice and perfect for a day of exploring, as Lara Dunn discovers

- Lara Dunn

I’ve just stepped out of the fragrant opulence of Maison Godet, sniffing my wrist surreptitiously. I’d like to think that by wearing the perfume house’s creation from 1925 –Folie Bleue – perhaps I might have something in common with the muse for whom the artist Henri Matisse commissioned it from this family-run parfumerie. No matter, wandering aimlessly in a scented cloud created for an artist seems an appropriate way to enjoy the charms of a village whose arteries flow with the outpourings of creative minds.

Art imitates life

There isn’t a corner of Saint-Paul de Vence that doesn’t somehow have an artistic connection, be it a shop window filled with huge, gaudy, avantgarde modern sculptures or a gallery crammed to bursting with familiar names from an era which saw Saint-Paul rise in popularity. The tiny town has seen arguably more than its fair share of famous artists over the past century or so. Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani and Jean-Michel Folon all spent time in its steep, narrow streets, doubtless inspired by that certain quality to the light, or perhaps the geometry of the buildings.