Page 480 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

Grapevines growing
on a rocky slope on
the Côte Vermeille

Other artists, including André
Derain, worked here under
Matisse’s influence and were
EXPERIENCE Languedoc and Roussillon 8 Maillol, the 19th-century shops now fill the cobbled
dubbed fauves (wild beasts)
for their experiments with
colour. Galleries and souvenir
streets, but this small fishing
port has changed little, and
anchovies are still its main
business. Three shel tered
beaches of pebble and sand,
nestle round the harbour,
dominated by Château Royal,
sculptor, whose work can
which forms part of the har-
Côte Vermeille
Port Vendres, with fortifi-
the Knights Templar in the
! E7 ⌂ Pyrénées-
13th century, and Collioure
cations that were built by the
Orientales k Perpignan
indefatigable Vauban (the
became the main port of
£ Collioure, Cerbère be seen all over the region. bour wall. It was first built by
@ Collioure, Bany uls- military archi tect to Louis XIV), entry for Perpignan, remaining
sur-Mer n Collioure; is a fishing port, renowned for under the rule of Spanish
www.collioure.com anchovies and sardines. Aragon until France took over
in 1659. The outer fortifica-
Here the Pyrénées meet the tions were reinforced ten years
Mediterranean, the coast road 9 later by Vauban, who demol-
winding around secluded ished much of the original
coves and rocky outcrops. The Collioure town in the process. The
vermeille (vermilion-tinted) ! E7 ⌂ Pyrénées- château hosts exhibitions
rock gives this stretch of coast, Orientales £ @ n Place du of modern art.
the region's loveli est, its name. 18 juin; www.collioure.com The quayside Église Notre-
The Côte Vermeille extends Dame-des-Anges was built in
to the Costa Brava in northern The colours of Collioure first the 17th century to replace
Spain and, with its Catalan attracted Matisse in 1905: the one destroyed by Vauban.
character, it is as redo lent of brightly stuccoed houses shel- Inside the church are five
Spain as of France. Argelès- tered by cypresses and gaily Baroque altarpieces by Joseph
Plage, with its three beaches, painted fishing boats, all Sunyer and other Catalan
is Europe’s largest camping bathed in the famous light, masters of the genre.
centre. The small resort of and washed by a gentle sea. Collioure is very popular in
Cerbère, the last French town
before the border, flies the
Catalan flag to signal its true
allegiance. Terraced vineyards
cling to rocky hill sides, produ-
cing strong, sweet wines such
as Banyuls and Muscat. Vines
were first cultivated here by
Greeks in the 7th century BC,
and Banyuls has caves dating
back to the Middle Ages.
Banyuls is also famous
as the birthplace of Aristide
Picturesque Collioure,
with its pebble beach
and historic church
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