CAGNES is made up of a nondescript coastal district known as Cros-de-Cagnes, Haut-de-Cagnes, the original medieval village overlooking the town from the northwest heights, and Cagnes-sur-Mer, the town centre situated inland between the two.At the top of place de Gaulle, the main square in Cagnes-sur-Mer, avenue Auguste-Renoir runs right and crosses the road to La Gaude. A short way further on, chemin des Collettes leads off to the left up to Les Collettes, the house that Renoir had built in 1908 and where he spent the last twelve years of his life (bus #4 from square Bourdet, or stop "Béat-Les Collettes" on the Antibes or Nice bus). It's now a memorial museum (daily except Tues: Jan–June, Sept, Oct & Dec 10am–noon & 2–5pm; July & Aug 10am–noon & 2–6pm; €3; free entry to garden), and you can wander around the house and through the olive and rare orange groves that surround it. One of the two studios in the house – north-facing to catch the late afternoon light – is arranged as if Renoir had just popped out. Albert André's painting, A Renoir Painting, shows the ageing artist hunched over his canvas; plus there's a bust of him by Aristide Maillol, and a crayon sketch by Richard Guido. Bonnard and Dufy were also visitors to Les Collettes; Dufy's Hommage à Renoir, transposing a detail of Moulin de la Galette, hangs here. Renoir's own work is represented by several sculptures, including La Maternité and a medallion of his son Coco, some beautiful watercolours and ten paintings from his Cagnes period. Haut-de-Cagnes is a favourite haunt of successes in the contemporary art world, as well as those of decades past, and it lives up to everything dreamed of in a Riviera village perché. The ancient village backs up to a crenellated feudal Château (Jan–June, Sept, Oct & Dec Tues–Sun 9am–noon & 2–5pm; July & Aug Tues–Sun 10am–noon & 2–6pm; €3; bus #9 from square Bourdet to "Le Château" or, by foot, the steep ascent along rue Général-Bérenger and montée de la Bourgade), with a stunning Renaissance interior, housing museums of local history, fishing and olive cultivation. In addition, if you're here between the end of November and January, you can see the entries from forty-odd countries for Haut-de-Cagnes' big event of the year, the Festival International de la Peinture (when the Château is open daily).
Pages in section ‘Cagnes’: Practicalities.
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