There now follows a self-guided walk and a plan of the entire route can be found at Villefranche map.

Although depictions of the town and its strategic harbour have appeared in engravings since the seventeenth century  it wasn’t until the early years of the nineteenth that it became a subject for local artists when landscape and seascape painting became a recognised practice. Amongst these were Jacques Guiaud, Hercule Trachel and Emmanuel Costa. The adventurous British traveller, poet and artist Edward Lear (1833–21) also visited the town in 1864 and made many sketches and watercolours. The image shown here is Villefranche from Cap Ferat (Private collection).

In common with several other locations covered on this site, the authorities in Villefranche have erected information panels at various places around the town which give details of paintings produced by a variety of artists, capturing the scene as they saw it. Some of these seem to have disappeared but where they still exist they will be highlighted as part of the walk. A good place to start is just outside the railway station with the whole sweep of the bay before you, sheltered on the left by Cap Ferat and on the right by the heights of Mont Boron.

Jacques Guiaud (1810–76) probably painted his view of Villefranche before the arrival of the railway from a vantage point close to where the platforms of the station are now located. The painting is Villefranche (1) and is now in a private collection. Guiaud lived in nearby Nice for many years where his delicate watercolours found favour with wealthy foreign clients including the Russian royal family.

One of the panels that seem to have been lost should be located just outside the station and it would have shown La Rade de Villefranche (2) (Musée des Beaux-Arts Jules Chéret, Nice) by Eugène Boudin (1824–98) which was painted in 1892 and one of several works created by this master of ‘pre-impressionism’ on his visit to the town. The background topography is the same but much else has changed significantly. At the time Villefranche was an important naval base as suggested by the two battleships at anchor but today you are more likely to see cruise ships in the bay with thousands of visitors being ferried too and fro in smaller boats. There has also been a lot of building over the past century and more and the essential character of the place has changed from a military base and fishing village to a community largely dependant on tourism.

Scenes of a maritime nature such as this were the principal subjects of Boudin and he visited and painted in many coastal communities around France and his work features in the article about Antibes, also on this site. Now walk towards the town along the waterfront and you will soon come to the spot where Boudin painted a very similar view and one which is instantly recogniseable. This is Rade de Villefranche, vue del la Marine (3), also painted in 1892 and now in a private collection. The building on the right is very little changed save for a smart coating of render and the old stone ramparts are still evident.

It must be from an upper window of one of the waterfront buildings that Henri le Sidanier (1862–1939) looked out on the bay and captured it in Le soleil dans la maison (4) in 1926 now in the collection of the Musée d’Orsay. He was a master of post-impressionism and his atmospheric images, usually with no obvious human presence, often have a slightly melancholic air but this painting is suffused with warm Mediterranean light.

Continue wa;lking along the Quai de l’Amiral Courbet until you come to a stepped street on the right called Rue de l’Église and here you will find a panel showing Vue de Villefranche (Musée des Beaux Arts, Carcassonne) (5) by Guiaud painted in 1856. More than a century and a half have passed since the artist captured this idyllic scene and some of buildings have changed but much remains the same. Cafés and restaurants now occupy spaces once used by fisherfolk and the artist has probably romanticised the scene to some extent, making the church more visible than in reality. Pleasure craft of all sorts now jostle on the quayside but there are still some local fishermen and they land their catch nearby on the newly extended harbour. We will return to walk up this charming stepped street but for the moment return to the quayside and the bust of Jean Cocteau.

It was hereabouts that Raymond Tournon (1870–1919) painted Les Filets de Villefranche (6) in 1918 which is now in a private collection. This also had an information plaque at one time but is now not in evidence. He was local man and after abandoning an early career as a cartoonist he became a full-time artist but also produced many publicity posters in the Art Nouveau style. The distinctive archway on the left of the painting is still obvious and some of the waterfront building can be identified although most are now fronted by cafés, bars and restaurants.

Now walk round the back of the Capitainerie onto the concrete slipway where fishing paraphenalia is still to be seen in untidy confusion and where Jacques Weismann (1878–1962) must have positioned himself to paint Villefranche-sur-Mer (7) in about 1920 and which is now in a private collection. Weismann, a Paris-born painter, pastellist and sculptor,  is better known for his nudes and portraits but this is a charming record of the waterfront with its colourful buildings and boating activity.

The harbour has been significantly modified over recent years and there is now a large reception centre which caters for passengers from cruise ships coming ashore. It was from where that building now stands that Maurice Pellerier (1875–1945) took his view when painting Villefranche-sur-Mer (8), now in a private collection. He was another prestigeous Parisian painter captivated by this quintessential Mediterranean port.

We will now take a break to visit the tiny Chapelle Saint Pierre (9), the apse of which has featured in the previous two paintings. The site has been occupied by a place of worship for centuries but it fell out of use towards the end of the nineteenth century and became a store for fishing tackle. In 1956 Jean Cocteau sponsored the buildings’ restoration and added decoration and murals to both the exterior and interior. It is a remarkable piece of work and reflects his affection for the town. The translation of his quote on the bronze bust nearby is “When I see Villefranche, I see my youth. May men make sure it never changes”.

We now return to Rue de l’Église and start to climb the steps towards the church. On the right hand side there should be the entrance to Rue Obscure but at the time of writing this section of the medieval passage was blocked off for restoration work and was occupied by tables from a nearby restaurant. Access to this remarkable roadway can be gained from Rue de May. Cocteau used the location for scenes in his film The Testament of Orpheus and he also created a painting, Rue Obscure (10) which was shown on a plaque set in the ground but which is now hidden below temporary flooring.

Continue up the steps to the church of St Michel and, if not making a visit, turn left into Place Félix Poullan. Towards the far end you find an information panel showing Vue de Villefranche (11) by Armand Ingenbleek (1896–1971), painted in 1927 and now in the Musée d’Art Moderne, Strasbourg. In this oasis of quiet beside the church little has changed since the artist captured the scene. The buildings now bristle with television aeriels and air-conditioning units but the attractive mix of coloured renders and welcome shade from mimosa and chestnut trees is still a feature. The fountain has been topped by a new finial and is no longer used as the principal source of fresh water but half-close your eyes and it isn’t difficult to roll away the last century.

At the end of the square exit on the right and rejoin Rue de l’Église and then proceed a few steps to Place de la Paix. Cross the road junction and take Rue de la Victoire, continuing uphill and at the end of the road take a very sharp left turn into Avenue du Général Galliéni. Just before this road joins the main thoroughfare of Avenue Albert 1er you will see a wire fence covered with bougenvillia on the left. Through the fence you will see the view that Jules Alexis Muenier (1863–1942) must have had when he painted Villefranche sur Mer (12) in 1895, now in a private collection.

There have, of course, been changes over the past century but the church and many of the buildings are almost the same save for some new tiles and render. Notable differences are the developments on Cap Ferat and the naval vessels now replaced by pleasure craft, although some of these are almost the same size as a ‘dreadnought’! A very similar scene, if a little more panoramic, was captured by Emmanuel Costa (1833–1921) but at an earlier date and not from exactly the same spot. The painting, also called Villefranche-sur-Mer (Private collection), clearly shows less development around the citadel and less naval presence in the bay.

To complete a trio of paintings all with the same title and with a very similar viewpoint is the work by Hercule Trachel (1820–72). He was born in Nice and his work has been examined in the entry for that city. The painting shown is a watercolour in the collection of the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, Nice.

Now turn left and proceed along Avenue Albert 1er until you come to Escalier Baptistin Saliva (just after a car park) on the left and take the steps downhill. This will bring you out on Avenue Sadi Carnot where you turn left and then take the first turning on the right, Passage Saint Elme. This will join Avenue du Maréchal Joffre and you should continue downhill towards the waterfront. Just after the junction with Avenue Sadi Carnot you will see a viewing area on the right with great views over the harbour, town and bay.

Just below you is Place A. Pollonaise, an open space lined with cafés and restaurants on the left and the likely subject of a painting by Jean Dufy (1888–1964) called Vue de Villefranche (13), painted in 1925 and now in a private collection. He was the brother of Raoul whose influence is obvious in this work where topographical accuracy has been changed for artistic effect but the essence of the scene has been successfully captured in the vibrant and colourful image. The blue building at right centre is the Hotel Welcome, once frequented by Cocteau, and although the colour of the render is different it is still an obvious element of the scene. Surprisingly the artist has chosen not to include the chapel of St Pierre on the right.

At this point it might be a good idea to make a visit to the Citadel of St Elme, the main entrance of which is close by. This imposing military fortification has stood sentinal over the town for centuries and it is an enduring feature in so many paintings of Villefranche. It is now home to several small museums and one of these houses a collection of bronze statues by Antoniucci Volti celebrating the female form and is well worth a visit. It was from one of the openings in the walls of the citadel that Henri le Sidanier took his view in La Port de la mer, Villefranche-sur-Mer (14), painted in 1925 and now in a private collection. The gateway in the painting does not correspond exactly with the main entrance to the citadel and must be elsewhere in the complex.

After completing the visit to the citadel, descend to Place A. Pollonaise and on the right you will see the entrance to the footpath that skirts the base of the fortifications and this affords great views of the bay and Cap Ferat beyond. This footpath will eventually lead you to the far side of the citadel and Port Royal de la Darse and by the first part of the harbour wall it is possible to stand in almost the exact spot where Raymond Tournon set up his easel to paint Villefranche – La Citadelle (15) in 1918 and now in a private collection.

Very little has changed although the palm trees have gone and other trees have grown in their place and there is a new building on the small jetty but the artist would recognise the view instantly. Cocteau portrayed a similar scene in his decorations for the Chapelle St Pierre in his own distinctive style.

We will end the walk at this point with a view of Port Royal de la Darse in the foreground and the citadel and town of Villefranche in the distance by the artist Frédéric Feibig (1885–1953). The painting is Le Port de Villefranche completed in 1912 and now in a private collection. The artist’s work has also featured in the Nice entry where there are more details of his life, but it was not a happy one. His personal circumstances were never easy and in many ways he led a tragic and tortured life but through it all his work is always compelling and inventive.