Vieille Ville (Old Town)
Villefranche-sur-Mer's Old Town tumbles down to the waterfront in a riot of ochre, terracotta and rose-pink facades that look almost too pretty to be real. Narrow vaulted lanes, sun-bleached shutters and the smell of fresh socca make every alley worth exploring.
The Colourful Carruggi
The labyrinth of medieval lanes — locally called carruggi — runs between the harbour and the hilltop citadel, and Rue Obscure is the star: a fully vaulted 13th-century street that doubles as a covered walkway right along the seafront ramparts.
Look for the vivid trompe-l'œil painted on building corners and the tiny oratories tucked into niches above doorways — these micro-shrines to the Virgin Mary are a Ligurian tradition that crossed the border with the local fishing families.
The best light falls on the harbour-facing facades between 4 pm and sunset, when the low Mediterranean sun turns every wall into molten gold.
Chapelle Saint-Pierre
Right on the quay sits the 14th-century Chapelle Saint-Pierre, which Jean Cocteau decorated floor-to-ceiling with bold black-line frescoes in 1957 as a gift to the local fishermen — it is one of the most intimate examples of 20th-century sacred art on the Riviera.
Cocteau depicted scenes from the life of Saint Peter alongside stylised Villefranche fisherwomen; the effect is somewhere between Byzantine icon and modernist graphic novel.
The chapel is tiny — perhaps 20 visitors fit comfortably — so arrive early or late in the day to absorb it without the tour-group rush.
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