France: Cote d’Azur, Saint-Tropez

Bohemian place with beautiful beaches and monuments of antiquities of the X-XVI century. The shooting area of ​​the cult movies and the place of inspiration of the Great – from the Xinyak field to Ricks Martin and Pink Floyd. It’s all about Saint-Trope. We invite you to travel With Airpano.

And the sea harbor of the city of Frejus laid for his fleet, Julius Caesar. In Saint-Rafael in 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte and his troops landed along the way from Egypt. So the second part of the Aeropanorates of the Cote d’Azur shore demonstrates no less famous places.

But the virtual journey through the azure coast in France will be incomplete without a story about Saint-Tropez – one of the most famous and prestigious resorts on the whole coast. Movies were filmed here, who became the classic of French cinema, and the songs about the Saint-Tropez are in the repertoire of many stars – from Ricky Martin to Pink Floyd.

By his appearance, the city where about 5,000 people now live, is obliged to a rather dark story: it is believed that the boat has a boat with the body of the Great Martyr Torpsis, beheaded with the persecution of the Emperor Nero for Christians. It was in honor of the Holy settlement that received his name, and then for this seaside section, which became a convenient port, constantly conducted battles.

At the end of the IX century, after the fall of the Roman Empire, Saint-Tropez was captured by Muslim Pirates and became the largest center of the slave trade of his time. However, after a century, he moved under the control of the Count Wilhelm I – one of the rulers of the Kingdom of Lower Burgundy. In the XVI century, the city was shot down from the Turks, in the XVII – from the Spaniards, and during the Second World War, he was the center of the invasion of allies to South France (Dragun Operation).

Despite the stormy and troubled history, Saint-Tropez retained interesting architectural monuments. On the times of Wilhelm I reminds Suffren Castle (Le Chateau de Suffren), located above the port, about the XV century – the gate on the Rue de la Ponche, and the evidence of the XVI century are the former chapel (the art museum is working in her walls) and the Saint-Tropez citadel , Grozny Bastion in the past and Museum of the Navy in our day.

The business card of the city is the old port, fully restored after its destruction during the Second World War, but the main attraction of the Saint-Tropez is the beaches. Some of them are open, and some are private, but there are enough places to everyone: starting from the foot of the fortress, they stretch almost 20 km.

Moreover, from other beach resorts, Saint-Tropez is distinguished by its bohemian atmosphere. By this, he is obliged to the French artist-Neo-Impressionist Field Xinyaka: At the end of the XIX century, he lived here on his villa, where he developed a picturesque technique of pointilism. His house was attended by Matisse, Bonnar, Mark, Dufi and other masters of art, and as a result, by the beginning of World War I, the quiet village became the cult destination of the creative elite of France.

Saint-Tropez turned out to be the best scenery for the love story of the film "And God created a woman" with Brick Bardo in the lead role (1956), in the 60s he became a place of comedy about the gendarme performed by Louis de Fügen, as well as the criminal drama "Swimming pool »With the participation of Alena Delon. All this added the city of popularity, and from the moment each of the free plot of land was purchased for the construction of luxurious villas, elite clubs and fashionable restaurants.

Practically opposite Saint-Tropez – 4 km by sea or 15 km on land – is the city Saint Maxim, which is considered a "democratic analogue" of his famous neighbor. Shores here are much cleaner than at the trendy resort. Despite the large number of population (about 13,000 people), tourists in Saint Maxim arrives less than in the Saint-Tropez. His beach strip stretches on 10 km, and excursion lovers will delight walks through the old town or the La Tour Carrée Tower inspection, built by monks in the XVI century.