Saint-Tropez was once a small fishing village, but today the town on the Côte d’Azur is the favorite vacation spot of world celebrities. Why?
Every year, summer brings numerous celebrities to the French coast. Saint-Tropez in particular is legendary as a hotspot for world stars – this summer alone, several big names have flocked to the small village on the Côte d’Azur. Among them are Amal (46) and George Clooney (63), Katy Perry (39) and Orlando Bloom (47) as well as Zac Efron (36).
All of Hollywood was already there
Pictures show the Clooneys a few days ago hand in hand on their way to lunch in one of the trendiest restaurants in Saint-Tropez. Katy Perry and her fiancé Orlando Bloom stopped off in the upscale resort for several days on their European trip and splashed around in the sea with their daughter. Zac Efron vacationed with friends in Saint-Tropez at the beginning of July, as did Michael Jordan (61) with his wife Yvette Prieto (45). Jared Leto (52) and Sofía Boutella (42) paid a visit to the famous “Club 55” on July 11 and strolled through the harbor.
In the past, Saint-Tropez and especially its marina have been home to almost the entire roster of world stars. Leonardo DiCaprio (49), Kate Moss (50), Beyoncé (42), Rihanna (36), Sylvester Stallone (78) and the Beckhams have all vacationed here.
In the 1950s the hype came
There are many beautiful places on the Côte d’Azur, but none attracts celebrities like Saint-Tropez. This is mainly due to the glamorous aura that has surrounded the village for decades. Saint-Tropez was once just a small, insignificant fishing village – but Roger Vadim (1928-2000) chose this very place in 1955 to film his film “And the Woman Always Tempts”. The lead role was played by none other than his then wife Brigitte Bardot (89), who became a style icon overnight thanks to the film and perfectly embodied the French way of life.
Other filmmakers followed Vadim’s example and made Saint-Tropez the setting for films such as “The Gendarme of St. Topez” (1964) with Luis de Funès (1914-1983) and “The Swimming Pool” (1969) with Romy Schneider (1938-1982) and Alain Delon (88). Artists, painters and intellectuals from Paris also settled in Saint-Tropez in the 1960s. This made the place world-famous and allowed the party life to flourish in the then already legendary “Club 55”.
Gunter Sachs did the rest
The marriage of Gunter Sachs (1923-2011) to Brigitte Bardot, which lasted from 1966 to 1969, did the rest on the small port town’s path to becoming the most popular travel destination for the rich and beautiful. Millionaire Sachs, at the time “Germany’s most famous playboy”, brought the last spark of glamour with his actions such as raining 1,000 roses over Bardot’s house from a helicopter.
Gunter Sachs was an influencer before the word even existed and gave Saint-Tropez a new, sophisticated attitude to life. The town on the Mediterranean with only around 4,000 inhabitants has not lost this magic to this day.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
