2. Grimaud is a Medieval perched village overlooking the bright blue bay of the
Golfe de Saint Tropez, dominated by the striking ruins of the 11th-century
chateau at the top. The village is situated at the Mediterranean edge of the
Massif des Maures, forested hills that stretch southwest to Pierrefeu-du-Var
and Hyères and northeast towards Frejus.
Some of the village houses are 15th and 16th century. Many of them have the
ancient-style stone walls, and many others are restored with the bright pastel
colours of Provence.
The village is large enough to offer a good number of streets for wandering
and exploring, including some Medieval-narrow and some low vaulted
passages.
The village church is the 12th-century Romanesque Saint-Michel, a parochial
church with a square clock tower. There's also the pretty stone Chapelle des
Pénitents Blancs in the village, built in 1482. The key site of Grimaud is the
castle ruins at the top, and that's worth the short steep walk up to the top.
The castle was built in the beginning of the 11th century, rebuilt in the 15th
century, and originally had a round tower at each of the four corners. The
chateau was torn down by Richelieu sometime in the 17th century.