Top Art – Maeght and Matisse

Two top art experiences are within easy reach from St Jeannet. The Matisse Chapel is less than 5km away while the Maeght Foundation is a 20-minutes away. A good day is to get to the Matisse Chapel when it opens in the morning and then head directly to Maeght after which you can have lunch in front of St Paul de Vence or head back to Vence.

The Matisse Chapel is a jewel and not to be missed if at all possible. Check the hours as they are limited.

Matisse created designs for all aspects of the Chapel including the priest robes. Stunning.
amazing view if Vence across the ravine

The Maeght Foundation has worldclass changing exhibitions as well as an incredible permanent collection featuring Chagall, Miro, Giacometti, Braques and more. On top of this is the wonderful Miro labyrinth sculpture garden.

Eze Beach

While the closest beach we like to St Jeannet is to be found in Cagnes-sur-Mer, one of the nicest/least crowded is the beach at Eze. This area has both parking and access challenges that keep the hordes away. The beach is on the other side of the train tracks and there is a tunnel about midway on the main avenue that will take you under the SNCF tracks and within short steps to Papaya Beach. It’s a small private beach hanging like a splinter from the edge of the terrain overlooking a narrow pebble beach. The water is typically clear and resplendent with reflected shades of Mediterranean blues. Papaya Beach serves typical beach fare with quick, attentive service at fair enough prices. If you’re looking for something more dj-infused, listen for the thumping sounds from Anjuna beach where the super yachts unload people ready to whoop it up.

look for the tunnel across the street from the seaside. It’s near an white fronted estate agents.

Visions of St Jeannet

Painters fall in love with the area and of course paint some wonderful images. We are partial to our great friend and local artist Remy Rasse who has imbibed their spirit and summons that power in his artwork. Remy’s now lives in Argentina, but is back in St Jeannet with new pieces that you can peruse and buy at the Domaine Haute Colines vineyard.

Some works from master painters include –

Chagall – near St Jeannet

Chagall – Flowers of St. Jeannet

Raoul Dufy – St Jeannet

Claude Monet – Antibes and Mountains (ok, not really St Jeannet, but we love this image of the sea and snow in the mountains)

Folon Chapel in St Paul de Vence

Artists have been inspired by the light and air of this area to create some of their best work. In appreciation, a few, like Picasso and Matisse, have designed chapels to share their feelings with generations of visitors. The Folon Chapel, just around the back of the main church in St Paul de Vence is a wonderful gem of a place.

We first stumbled into the Chapel when seeking shelter during a rain storm. It was an amazing surprise to experience the water-color shadings and the mosaic setting out a vision of peace, calm and hope. It was the last work from the Belgian artist who worked with local artisans to create the materials – like 1 million colored tiles – and also install the work.

Top of the Baou

The top of the St Jeannet Baou (805m) is about a 60-minute hike from the house. You can walk out of the house at the green gate and take the little path to the side, up to the road above the house. Then turn left and follow the road until it splits, then stay to the right heading up the steep road. It’s steep for about 150m – but it is really steep and will get your motor running.

The road will turn into a dirt path and then you just follow that all the way around toward the village until you come to the main trail which is marked and also has a car barrier. You can take the other part of this trail on your way down and go into the village.

From this point, head up to the Baou. It’s a good path, but there is a a bit of scrambling when you get to the top. Once on the top, head toward the helicopter pad and the orientation point at the edge of the cliffs.

There is nothing but nature up there, so pack water, snacks – even a picnic is great.

Lavender Fields

Getting the timing right is the hardest part of viewing the Lavender fields in Provence. The flowers bloom from June to July, but the peak depends on the weather during the spring time. We’ve been out in June and after a cold winter, the plants were still mainly green with only the promise of purple on their tips.

The ultimate photo opp is at the Abbey in Senanque. Neatly trimmed rows of grassy lavender stems await you (as well as a tidy little gift shop with scent of guess what – lavender wafting up from soap, shampoos, candles, cookies etc).

We missed the timing when we were at the Abbey and this time around at the start of July we made the shot direct to the Valensole fields which you can see in the video clip below. There are quite a few different spots to stop at to see the linear rows of purple wonder. On the route de Manosque there is also a large sunflower field featuring portrait-ready 1.5m flowers.

Winter visit to the Maeght Foundation

The sun, barely warming the brisk, humid December afternoon, was dropping quickly into the horizon. The light was clear, if low intensity, illuminating the Miro sculpture labyrinth.

There was a fantastic Ra’anan Levy exhibition in the galleries.

It’s always a great pleasure to wander through this art infused, pine shrouded museum. It’s a must visit if you are in the area. More info on the Maeght Foundation here.