St. Tropez, whose ancient name was Athenopolis, belonged to Greece who founded Marseille in 599BC, and it was the Romans who invaded the region in 31BC and built opulent villas.
Artist, Paul Signac discovered this light-filled place that later inspired Matisse, Bonnard & Albert Marquet. Painting styles of pointillism and fauvism emerged here.
After WWII, it became internationally known as a seaside resort, mainly due to the influx of artists of the French New Wave in cinema. In the 1950’s & 60’s, and the filming of ‘And God Created Woman’ with icon Brigitte Bardot, the international ‘jet set’ was born. Indeed it was Brigitte Bardot who made famous ‘la Tarte Tropezienne’ – a traditional cake invented by a Polish confectioner in the mid 50’s.
Today, the cobblestoned La Ponche quarter recalls its past as a fishing village, although mega yachts now outnumber the tiny wooden boats in the Vieux Port.
As a frequent visitor, I love to meander through the town and busy market, which runs Tuesdays & Saturdays all season long, stop for a coffee to ‘people watch’ and return to La Ponche to enjoy lunch with a view!
