There’s a pleasure in life that, in my opinion, we don’t think about enough. It’s the pleasure of spending just 24 hours in a place. It’s a choice that’s sometimes forced upon us due to time or budget constraints, but one that, given the joy we derive from that brief, limited time, might well become a conscious one.

At the start of July, I rediscovered that fabulous sense of a brief escape by spending exactly 24 hours in Saint-Paul de Vence. Not surprisingly, I loved it. Like, really.

For those whose minds aren’t immediately filled with images, or perhaps just a very vague whiff of Provence, Saint-Paul de Vence is a small fortified village perched on the heights of the Nice hinterland. From up there, you can see gracefully curving expanses of pine-green landscape stretching all the way down to the sea. The sky turns mauve after 8 p.m., and the cobblestone streets empty out, allowing you to better hear the swifts chasing each other and chirping above the tiled roofs. But beyond this labyrinthine atmosphere, with its old stones and old-fashioned mailboxes, a feature common to all the well-maintained villages of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, what gives Saint-Paul de Vence its unique charm is its history, intertwined with that of some of the most illustrious artists of the 20th century.

Discovered in the early 1920s by Paul Signac, Raoul Dufy, and Chaïm Soutine, Saint-Paul quickly became a destination of choice for painters, sculptors, and even poets. Matisse and Picasso visited regularly; Marc Chagall lived there for more than 15 years (you can even visit his grave on the outskirts of the village); Jacques Prévert had a charming house there that reflected his singular world; and the American writer James Baldwin spent the last seventeen years of his life in this very place. It was also there that Yves Montand and Simone Signoret met.

But the village’s fame took a new turn in 1964 with the opening of the Maeght Foundation, the first private foundation dedicated to art in France. Behind this ambitious project were Aimé and Marguerite Maeght, a visionary couple of art dealers who, among other things, organized the first international exhibition of Surrealism in 1947, curated by André Breton and Marcel Duchamp, in their Paris gallery. The Maeghts counted Georges Braque, Fernand Léger, Joan Miró, and many others among their close friends, all of whom contributed to the creation and development of this unique space, conceived as a place for experimentation, exchange, and artistic freedom. Painters and sculptors alike collaborated with the architect to integrate works of art into both the building and the surrounding natural landscape: a fountain, a stained-glass window, mosaics, a labyrinth…

Deeply shaped by the recurring, if not constant, presence of artists within its walls, Saint-Paul de Vence has retained this singular character to this day, with its narrow, steep (and slippery, when you’re busy cat walking  around in flat sandals) streets lined with countless art galleries.

But you might ask: how to fill precisely these 24 hours in Saint-Paul de Vence? For those looking for a little inspiration, here’s my itinerary (I should mention that I arrived at 1 p.m.).

Start with lunch on a terrace, for example at Le Tilleul (I didn’t try it, but it came highly recommended) or at Café Timothé, on a tiny shaded street lined with just a few tables. Three steps into the village are enough to immerse you in its atmosphere, and even simply wandering through its streets in search of your meal will give you a delightful taste of what awaits once you’re free from any set plans.

After lunch, take a trip to Vence, the little town just above, to visit the Chapel of the Rosary, also known as the Matisse Chapel, for the simple reason that it was designed and decorated by the painter during the final years of his life. Its history is so fascinating that I’ve decided to devote an entire article to it. You can get from Saint-Paul to Vence by bus, but if you’re driving, a short detour along the road leading towards Saint-Jeannet, just outside Vence, will reward you with magnificent views of the Pre-Alps (though at some point you’ll have to turn around, as there’s no loop road back to Saint-Paul, which is a damn shame).

Back in the village, I spent the rest of the afternoon exploring. And there… it was a real treat. The galleries offer an endless variety of styles, from classical, Impressionist, and modern painting to contemporary art. Some are, of course, a bit tacky, or at least of more questionable taste, but that’s just my opinion. A couple of shops are also worth a visit, such as Maison Bisson with its cabinet-of-curiosities feel, or Coton en Herbe, a new concept store with a refined selection.
Getting lost in the streets, strolling along the ramparts, visiting the cemetery, watching the birds circle frantically around the bell tower, enjoying an ice cream, and watching people play pétanque on the square in front of the ramparts (and why not join them for a game?) are just a few of the many ways to pass the time while waiting for aperitivo – and I haven’t even listed everything.

For the evening, I chose Les Remparts, a small hidden-gem restaurant with a terrace perched above the village, offering front-row views of the sunset. No need to say more, I guess. I’d also been recommended Sabai Sabai, a Thai restaurant with a small, colourful terrace on the town hall square. It looked very cute.

I can’t help but encourage you to take another stroll along the ramparts during the blue hour, because the sky melting into the sea beyond, together with the soft sheen of the pale stone against that watercolour sky, is simply fabulous.

The next morning, grab a coffee at Selah, a must for specialty coffee lovers, and why not have brunch at Café Timothé if you’re not in a hurry? They don’t start serving until 10 a.m. and are pretty laid-back about the timing, but they’re very friendly. Then head to the Maeght Foundation, where you can happily lose yourself for two or three hours, enjoying the gardens, the café, and the beauty of the place. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to visit the CAB Foundation, which is on the way and also looks well worth a visit. In my opinion, you can easily fit both into the morning and/or early afternoon (I was to busy enjoying my brunch – oops).

That’s how you come back from 24 hours in another world: feeling fulfilled and at peace, as though you’d been away for five days. What matters most is time. The time you take to admire, to look, to be silent, to let it slip away while doing nothing. I hope your days to be filled with that kind of time.

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IN MY EARS RIGHT NOW