The South of France was a magnate for the great and good of Impressionist Artists who came to the French Riviera to paint in the incredible light that is found here.
The list of famous artists who made it their home during the 20th century and whom painted some of their greatest works under its unique sky is long and impressive. It was here that Picasso, Renoir, Matisse, Dufy, Chagall, Cocteau, Leger, Soutine, Signac, Giacometti, Gauguin and Van Gogh changed the course of art history.
Many of these artists made the picturesque hilltop towns found in the region their home, like a growing number of people searching for villas for sale in St Paul de Vence hope to do.
This beautiful fortified town, now a Mecca for art-lovers, has also become a magnate for international clients looking for property for sale South of France.
St Paul de Vence is located a gentle 20 minute incline from the coastal road between Nice and Cannes. The charming town used to be a ‘royal borough’ and in 1537 a continuous wall was built around the cobbled streets and stone houses at the request of Francois I.
The entrance to St Paul de Vence, just past the world-famous La Colombe d’Or restaurant where many of the 20thcentury artists came to stay, features a canon muzzle that was a trophy from the 1544 Battle of Cerisoles, in Italy.
Artists Signac, Modigliani and Bonnard famously met in St Paul de Vence in the 1920s, where they offered their paintings in lieu of food and a place to rest their heads. Their masterpieces, and the works of other Impressionists, now hang on the walls of what has become one of the most famous restaurants on the French Riviera, La Colombe d’Or. It is the perfect place to stop and reflect on that property for sale South of France you’ve just viewed.
Another highlight of St Paul de Vence is the Fondation Maeght, a unique modern art museum where the garden is full of Joan Miro’s sculptures and the rooms are packed with Chagalls, Braques and Giacomettis.
Less than 300 people live behind the ramparts and there are few villas for sale in St Paul de Vence on the market within the tiny village itself. But on the surrounding hills and valleys there are a number of beautiful properties for sale, many of which enjoy stunning views of the walled village from their extensive grounds.
For further information on property for sale South of France or more precisely villas for sale in St Paul de Vence please visit Coast & Country France’s main website.
