DESTINACIJA / DESTINATION
P erched high on a steep ridge, just half an hour’s drive from Nice, stands Saint-Paul-de-Vence, a fortified medieval village that has survived the centuries. How- ever, its enchanting military architecture isn’t what makes it one of the most famous villages in the world, rather the incredi- ble magnetic magic with which it attract- ed the greatest artists of the last centu- ry. This isn’t just a place offering beautiful views over the hills and the sea, but a living theatre and open-air museum, where Marc Chagall and Jacques Prévert wrote, paint- ed, lamented and simply lived their most beautiful days in their later lives. Chagall arrived in Saint-Paul-de-Vence in 1966, after spending decades wander- ing between his native Russia, Paris and the U.S. It was here that he built his villa, “La Colline”, and found what he’d always longed for: the specific, bright light of the Mediterranean that allowed him to trans- late his dreams and memories into even more vivid colours. It was in this charming village that some of his last and greatest works emerged. His painting Les Amants de Saint-Paul (The Lovers of Saint-Paul) is a perfect representation of the personal happiness he felt in this place - it depicts a flying couple, hovering over the roofs of the village itself, while the background
THE MAGICAL SAINT-PAUL-DE-VENCE Where geniuses found a home Retrace the steps of Marc Chagall and Jacques Prévert through this fortified village of stone ramparts that served as the canvas for the most beautiful stories of the 20 th century
shows the recognisable ramparts bathed in blue and red light. Likewise, his monumental canvas La Vie (The Life), which represents a synthesis of the themes of his own life (circus, love, family and his native Vitebsk), was completed here and was deeply inspired by the peace he found in the village. Chagall spent the last 20 years of his life in Saint-Paul, strolling the
Prever (dole) i Šagal (desno) poziraju ispred svojih kuća u Sen Pol de Vensu, a Klaudija Kardinale (gore) u gostionici „Colomb d’Or“ Prever (below) and Chagall (right) pose in front of their houses in Saint Paul de Vence and Claudia Cardinale (above) at the “Colomb d’Or”
same cobblestones every day and drinking coffee with locals. His love for this place was crowned in 1985, when he was bur- ied in the modest village cemetery over- looking the valley. His grave, always cov- ered with pebbles (representing an old Jewish custom of respect) and messages from visitors from all over the world, is a place where tourists quietly bow to the eternal light of his talent.
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