If anywhere can lay claim to being the most famous resort in Europe it is probably Saint-Tropez. At the height of summer there can be as many as , visitors every day, here to ogle the multi-million pound yachts lining the quaysides of the old port ranging from the sleekly beautiful to the outright vulgar. And yet, somewhere beneath this veneer of conspicuous wealth with its over-bronzed devotees there are reminders of a time when artists were drawn to the beauty and tranquility of a humble Mediterranean fishing village.
This unlikely threesome finally washed ashore where the town is now located. With help from the Genoese he established the Barony of Grimaud and eventually the town became a small republic with its own fleet and army. Over the following centuries it prospered and resisted attacks by the Turks and Spaniards until Louis XIV finally reasserted French control in and so it has remained ever since.
This heady mix of sun, sex and celebrity continues to this day and the international cast has now been joined by the mega-rich from Russia, China and every other corner of the globe.
The extravagant personality of the place is epitomised by Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, a regatta held in late September, at which the play-things of billionaires compete in a festival of all things nautical — but some the boats are truly works of art in themselves.
However there is still a great deal to enchant and intrigue a casual visitor of more modest means with other, more thoughtful interests. Artists from more recent generations including David Hockney, continue to find inspiration in the place.
