Vence is where the Riviera stops pretending to be the seaside and starts to become the mountains. The old town sits on a rocky spur about ten kilometres inland from the coast, still largely enclosed by its medieval walls, and behind it the land rises in steps of limestone, the baous, towards the high plateaus of the Préalpes. Finishing a ride here means ending among fountains, narrow lanes and terraces in the shade.
Artists made Vence famous in the twentieth century. Henri Matisse designed the Chapelle du Rosaire for the Dominican nuns, a small white building with blue and yellow stained glass and black line drawings on white tiles, which he considered his masterpiece. Marc Chagall lived in Vence for some years before moving to nearby Saint-Paul-de-Vence, and D. H. Lawrence died in the town in 1930. The Fondation Maeght, just outside Saint-Paul, is one of the best modern art collections in France.
The riding from here is superb. The D2 climbs north over the Col de Vence, a long series of bends up a bare limestone slope with views back over the coast, then crosses a wild plateau towards Coursegoules and Gréolières. The surface is generally good, but the road is narrow in places, and cyclists use it heavily. Watch for gravel in the corners after rain.
Saint-Paul next door is overrun in summer and lovelier seen from the road than squeezed through on foot. Vence is calmer. Walk in through the old gate to the Place du Peyra, where the fountain has been running for centuries, find a chair, and let the engine tick as it cools somewhere behind you. Fuel and food are no issue in town.