St Tropez sits on a bay which was originally settled by the Phoenicians, then the Romans, whose local nobleman Torpes is the genus for name St Tropez today. It is said that his body was found in a small boat washed upon the coast and his name is still revered day in local festivals.
From the middle ages and into modern times the town was renowned for producing all things nautical, including ships. It had a special reputation for sailors and shipbuilding expertise. The citadel which is still there today was built in the 16th century to defend the town and which was a successful point of reference for the siege in 1637 where 20 plus Spanish galleons lay siege, but were fought off by the tiny St Tropez navy. The port was a renowned safe haven from stormy weather.
ARTICTIC CONNECTION
The artistic tradition of St Tropez started in the late 19th century when Paul Signac the neo-impressionist artist had a house built in the town and invited contemporary artists such as Matisse to stay and by the early 20th century the town was crawling with painters, writers and attracted a very Bohemian set.
During the 2nd world war, St Tropez was bombed heavily but amazingly most of the important historical structures survived, even from Allied landings which took place towards the end of the war.
BRIDGET BARDOT
It came to prominence again in 1956 when Bridget Bardot filmed “And God Created Woman” in St Tropez which was a huge hit at the time and became a cult movie, whilst a year earlier the famous cinquante cinq (Club 55, the best known beach restaurant) with its own landing stage opened, but apparently it was the Voile Rouge on Pampelonne beach where Bridget notoriously single-handedly broke the taboos about women being properly attired or covered up by stripping off and going topless, a move heartily welcomed by this writer!
ST TROPEZ TODAY
Now, it is a bustling resort with a glitzy style of its own, perhaps now faded a little from the 80's and 90's where celebrities were always seen dining out, but still a great place to go and eat, browse and people watch and is still the home to various writers and artists, and many art galleries pay testament to that fact.
The centrally located Place des Lices is often where the action is especially Bistro des Lices, a great place to people watch. There are local Provençal markets in the mornings on Tuesdays and Saturdays. If you are into fish, visit the fish market on Place Des Herbes.
RESTAURANT TRADITION
The best restaurants in St.Tropez tend to be found in the more exotic hotels. Le Byblos is probably the best known, whilst l'Olivier in Bastide de St. Tropez is fantastic as well and La Scala, part of l'Hôtel le Baron, is also fabulous. My personal favourite though remains the epic Cinquante Cinq with its own private jetty and tender to welcome you should you arrive by private yacht.
For those more credit crunched try Emiliano Restaurant for some interesting Asian fusion dishes, Chez Fuchs is a more traditional bistro with the advantage of being able to see the all-women chef team preparing mainly-seafood dishes. Or you could try La Table du Marché, where the menu changes daily
Historic Café de Paris benefits from a prime outdoor location along the quay and as such the restaurant relies on its reputation and location—but don't dine here expecting speedy service or memorable food.
For a more romantic summer lunch near Pampelonne beach, there is L'Esquinade. With waves lapping the beach and a good roaring fire in winter.
PARTY SPOTS
St Tropez is of course best know as a party town and the top 3 spots would probably be Les Caves du Roy in Byblos, still one of the few places where you could mingle with celebrities although Papagayo is up and coming and The Loco, right across the road, is another celebrity hang out.
GETTING THERE
St Tropez is about an hour's drive from Nice airport on a good day, but traffic can be very heavy in peak season. It has a railway station, and can be reached daily by ferry from Cannes, St Maxime and several other resorts along the coast.
Chris France - null
