Collioure is one of the jewels of the Côte Vermeille, a narrow, rocky strip backed by the Albères massif, between Cerbère and Argelès-sur-Mer, in the Pyrénées-Orientales. Feet in the Mediterranean Sea, nose in the vineyards, this former royal port with Catalan intonations offers an exceptional play of shadows and lights, which inspired many artists.
Day 1
09:00 In the footsteps of wild animals
It is essential to reach Collioure by train, as Henri Matisse (1869-1954) and André Derain (1880-1954) did in the summer of 1905. A few steps from the station, the streets of the Mouré neighborhood (1)where the two artists lived, lead naturally towards the sea and Boramar beach. Towards that luminous shock that André Derain talks about. That of the fishermen’s houses with their colorful facades on the rue des Calanques, the loopholes on the rue Bellevue that overlook the Saint-Vincent chapel (17th century).my century), the lighthouse converted into a church bell tower and these windows open to the bay that inspired the painters of Fauvism. Walking through the flowery streets, you discover these pictorial places at the same time as the reproductions, hanging on the walls, of paintings by the two artists. At that time when Catalan and the white sails of the boats destined for anchovy fishing dominated the port of Collioure.
11:00 Barrels under the ship
Walking under the walls of the royal castle allows you to reach the neighborhood of Faubourg or Port-d’Avall (“low port”) with the Albères massif and Fort Saint-Elme in the background. The Dominican winery (2) It is located very close to the new esplanade François-Bernadi (1922-2022), an artist and poet from Colliourenc whose universe can be discovered at the Museum of Modern Art. The history of this cooperative winery dates back to 1926, when the old monastery church was purchased from the State. It is in the central nave of the old religious building that is preserved in its original state where the prickly pears are stored, large oak barrels where the wine ages. “There are three that are still performing duties. The others are for the beauty and the history”specifies Régis Bergé, president of the cooperative winery. Looking up you can see the ornamentation engraved on the framework that crowns the ribbed arches.
14:00 royal visit
the royal castle (3) It is a ten minute walk from the winery. The guided tour consists of understanding what the 13th century building was like.my century it became a military citadel under Vauban. We start with the oldest part, from the time of the kings of Mallorca and the first town, until the Treaty of the Pyrenees, on November 7, 1659, the date on which Collioure became French, and the military citadel designed by Vauban. We enjoyed the beautiful view of the defense towers of Massane and Madeloc, before discovering the permanent exhibition on the Retirada, the exile of the Spanish republicans between 1936 and 1939.
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