The Casino was established in the mid-19th Century as a last ditch effort to fund the tiny principality. It worked. And the rich and famous have come here to live and play ever since. The architect and designer, Charles Garnier, also designed the Paris Opera House.
But since I have been to Monaco and the nearby village of Eze before, I chose to visit a French town named St. Paul de Vence.
We left Monaco on the Middle Corniche road that winds along the French Riviera coast through Nice, passing the famous Promenade des Anglais.
We turned inland, and after traveling about 20 miles, we saw St. Paul de Vence—a medieval city with an imposing silhouette. Perched high upon an escarpment, it is the quintessential fortified town of Provence.
Painters such as Modigliani, Signac and Soutine met at a local café which has since become the sumptuous Colombe d’Or. This was a favorite of such as Ava Gardner, Paul Newman, and it is where many current movie stars come while attending the film festival in near-by Cannes.
The town has narrow streets that open occasionally into little courtyards.
Expensive shops and art galleries are abundant that cater to the summer residents.
But the great treasure for me was to learn that Marc Chagall lived the last 33 years of his life here. He is buried in this cemetery.
His tomb is simple. Jews place stones on tombs instead of flowers. You can see the stones placed on Chagall’s tomb here with a beautiful rosemary bush in bloom at its head.
Nearby, a local lady was placing flowers on a grave.
A favorite pastime in France is bocci ball. St. Paul has such bocci ball park where these men were involved in the sport.
We came back “home” to the Noordam which was nestled in the small port next to this big yacht that has a helioport on top!
Au revoir to Monaco and the beautiful Cote d’Azure.
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