About Sanary-sur-mer

The 16th century saw the establishment of a small fishing village on the site of today’s town, the village having the name of Saint Nazari. It was not until the end of the 17th century that the town came fully under French rule, by which time the name had been abbreviated to Saint Nari, though it was not until 1890 that the town officially became known as Sanary. Finally, in July 1927 it was officially recognized as Sanary-sur-Mer. The German enclave centred around the Mann family and included the writers Stefan and Arnold Zweig as well as the art critic Julius Meier-Graefe, though the literary connections of the own also included a strong British community which included Aldous Huxley who wrote the novel ‘Brave New World’ while living at Villa Huxley and where he was often visited by DH Lawrence.

The town’s Theâtre du Galli is central to the cultural side of life, being used both for plays and concerts. Le Jardin Exotique Zoo is a combination of both a tropical garden and small animal zoo which is open all year round, while the town also caters for an abundance of water sport related activities including a diving centre. For the more enthusiastic sportsperson, the town also has tennis courts, a skateboard park and plenty of cycle routes.There are several galleries and workshops in the town where there are always exhibitions of paintings, photographs and artisanal crafts, the most popular being the Atelier des Artistes, Espace Saint-Nazaire, Galerie de Barthélémy de Don, MaisonFlaotte and Petit Galli.

With the town’s traditional connection with fishing, every year there is a maritime festival to celebrate the fact and particularly the original fishing boats used out of Sanary-sur-Mer, the Pointus du Sanary. There are additional events throughout the year in the town, which include Le Mois du Mer, Sanary sous Étoiles which includes over 40 open air concerts and musical events, la Fete du Nom, La Fete des Bonbons et Crayons and La Fete de Saint-Pierre et des Pêcheurs.

L'allée d'Estienne d'Orves is the location for the daily Provençal market in Sanary-sur-Mer, while Wednesdays is the day for the grand market which includes textiles and other items, as well as food. Seafood and fresh fish can be bought down by the harbour. It is impossible to avoid fish and seafood as the prominent ingredient of many of the town’s restaurants, but this is France, it is the Riviera and there is also a Provençale influence also to be found. The town’s restaurants cater for all tastes and requirements, from the finest gastronomy and traditional flavours at La Fontaine or Le Provençal, to a pizza at Chez les Filles or Chez Ciccio.