Page 129 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Provence & The Côte d'Azur

THE V AR AND THE ILES D ’ H Y ERES  127

fPort-Grimaud
Road map E4. * 150. @ n Les
Terrasses, Rue de l’Amarrage (04 94 55
43 83). ( Thu & Sun. ∑ grimaud-
provence.com
This beautiful port village was
dreamed up entirely by the
renowned Alsace architect
François Spoerry (1912–98).
In 1962 he bought up the
marshy delta lands of the
River Giscle west of the Golfe
St-Tropez. Four years later,
work began on a mini-Venice
of 2,500 canal-side houses View of Port-Grimaud from the Eglise de St-François-d’Assise
with moorings covering 90 ha
(222 acres). There are now of St-Tropez (also known as the
three “zones”, a marina and a Golfe de Grimaud) and control
beach. Its church, St-François- access to the town from the
d’Assise, in the place d’Eglise, North and Maures mountains.
contains some stained glass by Contrary to popular belief,
Victor Vasarély (1908–97) and Grimaud has no connection to
offers a sweeping view of the the ubiquitous Grimaldi family.
port from the top of its tower. Rather it can be associated with
The whole port is free of the much older Grimaldo family.
traffic and the coche d’eau The castle of Grimaud dates
offers a water-taxi service. from the 11th century and was
A major tourist attraction, reduced to ruins in the Wars
Port-Grimaud brings in about of Religion between Catholics One of the popular beaches at Ste-Maxime
one million visitors a year. and Protestants (see pp50–51). on a sunny day
The view of the coast from
its heights made it an ideal hSte-Maxime
gGrimaud vantage point from which
to watch for further invasion. Road map E4. * 13,900.
Road map E4. * 2,700. @ @ St-Tropez, St-Raphaël.
n 679 route nationale (04 94 55 Once called rue Droite, the n promenade Aymeric Simon-
43 83). ( Thu. ∑ grimaud- rue des Templiers is the town’s Lorière (08 76 20 83 83). ( daily.
provence.com oldest street, lined with arcades
designed to be battened down Facing St-Tropez across the
The medieval, fortified, traffic- in case of attack. Legend has it neck of the Gulf, Ste-Maxime is
free village perché (see pp24–5) that the Knights Templar stayed protected by hills. Its year-round
of Grimaud has a long history in Grimaud, but this fact has clientele reaches saturation point
dating back to the Gallo-Roman not been historically attested. in summer. The attractions of this
days. During the 11th century, In the same street is the pure smart resort are its port, prome-
its steep summit allowed Romanesque 12th-century nade, sandy beaches, water-
Grimaud to dominate the Gulf church of St-Michel. sports, nightlife, fairs and casino.
Ste-Maxime was once
protected by the monks of
Lérins, who named the port
after their patron saint and put
up the defensive Tour Carrée
des Dames which now serves
as the Musée de la Tour Carrée.
The church opposite contains
a 17th-century green marble
altar that was brought from the
former Carthusian monastery of
La Verne in the Massif des Maures.
E Musée de la Tour Carrée
Place Mireille de Germond. Tel 04 94
96 70 30. Open Wed–Sun (Sep–Jun:
pm only). Closed 1 Jan, 1 May, 25 Dec,
Grimaud, dominated by the castle ruins Feb. &