St Tropez. Fashionable crown jewel in the necklace of legendary resorts that line the French Riviera - aka the Cote d'Azur that runs along the Mediterranean coast from Marseille to the Italian border. The sleepy little fishing village rose to prominence more than a century ago, when it was discovered by a whole parade of Parisian artists attracted by the region's natural beauty and its soft, glowing Provencal light. They were followed in the mid-1900s by musicians, more artists, craftsmen, wealthy sun-seekers and movie stars - most notably, French sex-kitten Brigitte Bardot who really put the place on the map with her (then) scandalous 1956 film 'And God Created Woman'. These jet-setters set up summer homes along one of the loveliest bays on the entire Riviera and set off a travel trend that has never abated. St Tropez has a benign, sunny climate (typical of the whole of coastal Provence, in fact) and it's a pleasure to stroll its traffic-free streets and alleys, taking in the art galleries, studios, clothing boutiques and pavement cafes for which it is famous. Incidentally - Bardot still lives here and sometimes pitches up near the local tourist office to sign autographs...

said DaveMullany 11 months 12 days ago