A series of random discoveries today which started with stumbling across this original John Cooper Works kit mini parked at the top of my rue today - c'est tres cool! Imagine zipping around the French Riviera in this?! But apparently you can get Lambo rides up and down the hill going into Monte Carlo for EUR40 - although obviously it would be very uncool to pay for such a thing and I need to work harder on finding someone you actually owns one...
The highlight of the day however was going into the this little church which is perched right on the waterfront. It hasn't been open so far but being Sunday yesterday it was, and having been so recently inspired by the church at Eze Village, I thought it would be worth a visit. It was originally built in the 12th Century and to my complete amazement, the entire inside was repainted by Jean Cocteau from 1956-57 when he was living in Villefranche.
It is absolutely stunning and so not what you'd expect from the outside (although now that I look at the exterior again, the wacky evil eyes painted on the outside are a bit of a clue).
As usual the photo doesn't do it justice, but it is truly an avant-garde masterpiece.
I also finally discovered a sculpture by the artist my rue is named after, Antoniucci Volti - complete with resident pigeon.
Italian-born, he settled in Villefranche in 1920 and specialised in female nudes, calling himself "an architect of sensuality".
I think I now must go in search of Nellcote...
No comments:
Post a Comment