A WALK AROUND THE TOWN
There now follows a self-guided walk around Saint-Tropez and a high quality version of the whole route can be found at St-Tropez master map.

The starting point for this walk is the Place des Lices, a large open space behind the waterfront area which is shaded by a small forest of plane trees, many of which have a contorted appearance – the result of decades of severe pruning. This oasis of calm amidst the bustle of the town with its constant streams of traffic is still as attractive as when Paul Signac painted Plane Trees, Place des Lices, Saint-Tropez, Opus 242 in 1893 (Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh) (1). Although it is not really possible to pinpoint the exact spot where Signac took his view, the dark green benches are just the same and the old folk taking their ease in the welcome shade is an enduring image.

Generations of artists have found this dusty arena an inspiration and still do so today. Where Rue François Sibilli joins the square must be the place where Charles-Henri Person set up his easel to paint La Place des Lices à Saint-Tropez in about 1913 (Galerie David Pluskwa, Marseille) (2). The distinctive apricot-coloured house with blue-grey shutters is instantly recogniseable as is the wooded hillside beyond with glimpses of the citadel amongst the trees. The range of buildings on the left have been developed a little but the real fly in the ointment is the presence of motor vehicles, both parked and in very slow motion!

Just across the square is the “Le Café” bar and restaurant and this is very likely the subject of La Place des Lices by Charles Camoin painted in 1936 (Private collection) (3). An extra storey has been added to the building and the general appearance is now much more in keeping with the sophisticated ambience the town is keen to project. However, casual games of boules still take place in the foreground and the relaxed atmosphere of this relatively tranquil spot that was the original inspiration can still be appreciated. Another canvas by Camoin depicting a similar scene - Les jouers de boules, Place des Lices, 1939 is in the collection of the Musée de l’Annonciade.

Now proceed to the far end of the square and take Montée Guy Ringrave and walk up the steep hill until you reach Avenue Paul Signac. Now turn right and proceed along until you reach the footpath on the left that leads to Plage Graniers and just across the road you will see a rather imposing building which is the Villa Le Hune, the one time home of Paul Signac. Take the footpath and after a short walk downhill you come to the beach of Les Graniers which may well have been the inspiration for Matisse’s Luxe, Calme et Volupté painted in 1904 (Musée d’Orsay, Paris) (4). This was painted at the time when he was much influenced by Signac and the ideas of Divisionism and before he embarked on experiments with the radical use of colour that would develop into Fauvism. It is possible that the flat-topped feature on the left is the end of the town cemetery but otherwise specific details are hard to pin down and topographical accuracy was probably the last thing on the artist’s mind. On a quiet, sunny day the quality of calm is easily evoked and with a little more imagination luxury and voluptuousness can also be summoned up. The place is certainly not short of reminders about luxury and as for the other quality – well that has to be left for the viewer to imagine.

Now take a walk along Chemin des Graniers back towards the town with the cemetery on the right and the grounds of the Citadel on the left. This must be one of the most remarkable places to be interred and is the final resting place of many famous names including Roger Vadim the film director and husband of Brigit Bardot who was so instrumental in transforming the image of Saint-Tropez with his film And God Created Woman. Eventually you will come to the main entrance to the Citadel and here take the path on the left and proceed uphill.

When you come to a side road marked “Access Pompiers” take a short walk along the path and you will get an approximation of the view captured by André Dunoyer de Segonzac in his Saint-Tropez (Private collection) (5). In this rather sombre watercolour the church of Notre Dame de l’Assomption is centre stage surrounded by a jumble of terracotta roofs and ochre-coloured walls with the Bay of Saint-Tropez and hills beyond. The foreground is occupied by the grounds of the Citadel with a wall descending the slope. Almost exactly the same elements can be seen today and the only really noticeable additions to the scene are motor vehicles, the extended harbour wall and the yachts and cruisers of the mega-wealthy anchored in the bay. The lofty vantage points around the citadel have been used by many artists including Paul Signac, Maximilien Luce, Theo Van Rysselberghe, Pierre Bonnard and Francis Picabia.

The Citadel itself is well worth a detour. The modest entrance fee affords access to the historic fortifications with a really well-presented history of the town in both French and English ... and a magnificent panorama of the town and surrounding country.

Now descend towards the old town. At the road junction turn right into Rue de l’Aïoli and at the end turn left down the steps along the Passage des Quatre-Vents. Now turn right into Traverse des Quatre-Vents and almost immediately left again and down some more steps (this is still Passage des Quatre-Vents). Turn right and then left down yet more steps and the sound of the sea tells you that you’re very close to the water’s edge. Cross over Place Henri Person (whose work we have already considered) and continue downhill to the small, untidy beach of La Ponche which is backed by a delightful collection of buildings, once fishermen’s cottages but now occupied by more “modish” residents.

The spot, however, remains entirely charming and many of the elements that enchanted Picabia in 1900 in his Le Point de la Port de Saint-Tropez (Private collection) (6) and Signac in his 1894 watercolour – La Ponche, Saint-Tropez (Private collection) (7) are still recogniseable. Picabia positioned himself on the right side of the bay and has slightly modified the profile of the distant hills for artistic effect. Signac’s viewpoint was further round to the left and the basic outline of the buildings is basically unchanged. Regretably no fishing boats are hauled up on the beach but at least the location means that the scene is not disfigured by parked vehicles. Now continue on the footpath by the water’s edge to the next charming, and scruffy, little beach.

The footpath continues around the stonebuilt fortification to the old harbour front. Until now the walk has been full of reminders of the town’s past as a humble fishing community but as soon as you emerge onto the Belvedere de la Marine you are confronted with its more recent incarnation. The harbourside is entirely occupied by bars and restaurants and although there are a few traditional fishing boats at this end of the port, probably for photo-opportunities, most of the quaysides are lined with expensive yachts and cruisers ranging from the sleekly elegant to the blatantly vulgar.

Proceed along the Quai Frédéric Mistral and take the first turning to the right and walk on a few paces before turning round to see the view Pierre Bonnard captured in his 1911 painting View of the Old Port, Saint-Tropez (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) (8). Almost nothing has changed except for the type of vessel tied up at the quayside.

Now turn right into Rue Sibille and then continue along Rue des Commercants until you come to the junction with Rue du Marché on the right. You now see before you the view painted by Charles Camoin in 1905 called La Place aux Herbes (Musée de l’Annonciade, Saint-Tropez) (9). The basic fabric of the buildings is little changed although their uses are more likely to be high-end fashion than humble market produce. Still this remains a charming corner of the old town. Walk down into the picture and turn left into the archway which is the Passage de la Poissonnerie. This delightful passageway, heavy with the air of history (and seafood), is decorated with tiles and mosaics and is still where the local catch is sold every morning. You will emerge onto the harbourside and into a different world.

While crossing the road to the waterside, look back at the entrance to the fish market and you will get the approximate view that John Maclaughlan Milne had in the 1930’s when he painted Saint-Tropez (Private collection) (10). The tourist office now occupies the building with the green awning and the restaurants on the right now take up a much larger area with their outside tables, but otherwise the fabric of the buildings is largely the same. A little artistic licence has been employed with regard to the depiction of the church tower.

Walking a little further along the front will bring you to the rather imposing statue of Admiral Suffren infront of the Hôtel Sube which is very probably where the British artist Henry Scott-Tuke stayed on his visits to the town in the 1920’s. It is possible to visit the first floor bar with its balcony overlooking the harbour and from here you get views that would have been familiar to Scott-Tuke and other artists who used this vantage point to record the activities of the port. He painted a series of watercolours including Saint-Tropez (Falmouth Art Gallery) (11). The nature of the commercial hubbub has changed and the sails hoisted will be on yachts of the super-rich rather than humble merchant craft, but a vibrant scene it remains.

What a vibrant and colourful picture Henri Lebasque gives us in Le Port à Saint-Tropez (Private collection) (12). A view of the harbour from a first floor window, maybe in a building nearby, is alive with the bustle of a busy fishing port.

A little further along the quayside must be where Maximilien Luce set up his easel to paint Le Port de Saint-Tropez in 1893 (Private collection) (13). Artistic licence has obviously been employed to bend the view to the painter’s intentions but in essence the scene remains the same – now more people (mainly tourists), bigger boats, parked vehicles, associated street furniture and all the other trappings of modern life.

Continue along Quai Gabriel Péri until you reach the Musée de l’Annonciade and it is just about from here that Signac painted one of his most iconic images – L’Orage, Saint-Tropez (Musée de l’Annonciade, Saint-Tropez) (14). This was painted in 1895 and oh, what a pleasure it would be to have this uninterrupted view across the harbour that he enjoyed. Unfortunately the distinctive range of buildings that is a feature of so many paintings by Signac and others is obscured by boats tied up at the quayside and also, ironically, by artists selling, and indeed painting, their wares. You are more likely to see this view under brilliant blue skies but if you are fortunate enough to be here when a storm threatens then the atmosphere of the place will surely be enhanced.

A little further along and you will come to the place that inspired Albert Marquet to paint Port de Saint-Tropez in 1905 (15). The slimy quayside cobbles are just the same as in his picture but the foreground is otherwise obscured by a myriad of small, and not-so-small pleasure craft. Like the last picture this painting is housed in the Musée de l’Annonciade just across the road and a visit to this magnificent gallery is an absolute must – relatively small but packed with gems.

And so we finish, as we started, with the painter who really put Saint-Tropez on the artistic map – Paul Signac and his luminous painting Maisons du Port, Saint-Tropez, Opus 237 (Private collection) (16) completed in 1892. In many ways this represents the underlying essence of the place – a row of honey-coloured waterfront buildings with terracotta roofs glowing in the bright Provencal sunshine sitting on a fractured reflection of itself in the glassy waters of the harbour, complimented by elegant sailing vessels. The nature, and size, of the vessels have changed and there is now a superficial veil of glitzy glamour but beneath that there is still genuine charm.