Before the yachts, before Bardot, the Gulf of Saint-Tropez was called the Gulf of Grimaud, named after this castle on the hill. What’s left is 11th-century ruins open to the sky, with ramparts seven metres high and views that stretch from Gassin to the sea. The climb through the medieval village is half the pleasure, with tiny, cobbled streets and bougainvillaea spilling over stone walls.


