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Vence
The 12th-century troubadour Pierre Vidal called Vence "le doux repaire" (The Sweet Nest), it is no doubt that Vence has earned itself a reputation as the source of a creative spirit’s respite and reinvigoration.
The artist’s haven of Vence in the heart of the Cote d’Azure Provence region is located in the rolling hills of southern France, just a stone’s throw from coastal summer destinations Nice and Antibes.
The population boasts largely of artists, with painters, sculptors and writers of many nationalities, showcasing their work at galleries and public outdoor exhibits in the summer months. Painters Dufy, Soutine, Matisse, Chagall and Dubuffet, have all repaired to the artists’ colony at Vence, with novelist D. H. Lawrence spending his last days in here.
The pleasant smell of aromatic flowers, olives and oranges permeate the air in Vence, where such flora is widely cultivated in the landscape. The old-world feel is present in the town, testament to the walled circular architecture of typical medieval villages.
The town is accessible on foot through each of the five medieval "portes" (gateways) that provide entry through the walls surrounding the town. The Porte d'Orient also known as the Porte de la Brèche was was made and the buildings realigned so Monseigneur Pisani de la Gaude, Bishop of Vence, could arrive at the door of his episcopal palace without stepping down from his carriage in the 18th Century. Other portes are the Porte du Peyra (1441), Tour-Porte du Signadour (13th Century) or Portail Saint-Paul), Porte du Faubourg ou Pontis as well as the Portail Levis (13th Century)
Inside the city’s stone walls, visitors are invited to site with friendly locals on the many terrace cafes that line the Place Clémenceau, to sip coffee while admiring the view the town’s ornately decorated church and the hustle and bustle in the town square.
Vence’s mineral water, known as La Foux, flows from a source just above the village and into the many fountains in the town villagers, including the beautiful 1822 fountain in the Place Peyra where an old marble plaque lists the amounts of the different minerals present.
