Villefranche-sur-Mer means free town. It was given the name because in the past its people were tempted to take to the seas again in return for an assurance of freedom from taxes. Even back in ancient times, the harbour was important to the people of Liguria who traded with the Greeks who had settled on Cap Ferrat.
In 1557, Duke Emmanuel-Phillippe of Savoy ordered the expansion of the fortress and the harbour. Today, the fortress is home to the Musée Volti, which displays works by local artist Volti, and the Musée Goetz-Boumeester (both July/Aug. daily 09.00 – 12.00, 15.00 – 18.00, Sept. – June 10.00 – 12.00, 14.00 – 17.00) with works by Henri Goetz, Christine Boumeester, Picasso, Miró and Hartung.
Close to the harbour is the chapel of St. Pierre (spring Tue – Sun 09.30 – 12.00, 15.00 – 19.00, summer Tue – Sun 10.00 – 12.00, 16.00 – 20.30, autumn/winter Tue – Sun 09.30 – 12.00, 14.00 – 18.00, closed 15. Nov. -15. Dec. ), which the fishermen once used for storage. The chapel was redesigned by artist Jean Cocteau in 1957.
