aixcentric

It’s a great time to visit Saint-Tropez now that it’s quieter after the summer holiday season.

Saturday sees the beginning of a major sailing programme, Les Voiles de Saint Tropez.  You can climb up to the citadel to watch the big white sails skimming across the sea, or mingle with the crews on the quayside.  It’s especially nice as all the big bling-bling boats are cleared from the port letting us see the lovely buildings surrounding it. 300 yachts taking part in this, the 19th ‘Voiles de Saint Tropez’. 30th Sept – 8th Oct. Details here: http://www.lesvoilesdesaint-tropez.fr/les_voiles_de_saint_tropez/

The last day of this festival is also the last day to admire the brilliant sculptures of Niki de Saint-Phalle.  She always said she wanted to exhibit outside the walls of museums, and this summer she had her wish with her work being shown around the harbour at Saint-Tropez.  Until 8th October.

Adding to the statuary but in a more permanent form, this week sees the unveiling of a statue to one of the town’s most famous residents – Brigitte Bardot – probably a tad more shapely than Niki de Saint-Phalle’s ‘nanas’.

If you are visiting, the tourist office have launched a new museums card, ‘MUST’, which costs 10 euros.  This ‘Museums of Saint-Tropez’ card gets you into the Musée de l’Histoire Maritime Tropezienne’, the Musée de la Gendarmerie et au Cinema, the Musée des Papillons and the wonderful Musee de l’Annonciade.  Cards on sale at each museum until October 15th.