Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Explore the narrow lanes of the old town using the TI's worthwhile self-guided tour map.
Connect the picturesque streets, enjoy a drink on a quiet square, inspect an art gallery, and
find the small 11th-century cathedral with its colorful Chagall mosaic of Moses. If you're
here later in the day, enjoy the
boules
action across from the TI (rent a set from the TI and
join in).
Château de Villeneuve
This 17th-century mansion, adjoining an imposing 12th-century watchtower, bills itself as
“one of the Riviera's high temples of modern art,” with a rotating collection. Check with
the TI to see what's playing in the temple.
Cost and Hours:
€5, Tue-Sun 10:00-12:30 & 14:00-18:00, closed Mon, tel. 04 93
58 15 78.
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Chapel of the Rosary (Chapelle du Rosaire)
The chapel, a short drive or 20-minute walk from town, was designed by an elderly and
ailing Henri Matisse as thanks to the Dominican sister who had taken care of him (he was
81 when the chapel was completed). The modest chapel holds a simple series of charcoal
black-on-white tile sketches and uses three symbolic colors as accents: yellow (sunlight
andthelightofGod),green(nature),andblue(theMediterraneansky).Brightsunlightfil-
tersthroughthestained-glasswindowsanddoesacheerydanceacrossthesketches.While
the chapel is the ultimate pilgrimage for serious Matisse fans, the experience may under-
whelm others. (If you've visited the Matisse Museum in Nice, you'll remember that he
wasthemasterofleavingthingsout.)DecideforyourselfwhetherMatissemetthegoalhe
set himself: “Creating a religious space in an enclosed area of reduced proportions and to
give it, solely by the play of colors and lines, the dimension of infinity.”
