Citadelle St-Elme

Villefranche's imposing citadel is worth visiting for its impressive architecture. Built by the duke of Savoy between 1554 and 1559 to defend the gulf, its walls today shelter the town hall, well-combed public gardens and several free museums. The Musée Volti displays voluptuous bronzes by Villefranche sculptor Antoniucci Volti; the Musée Goetz-Boumeester features modern art in the citadel's former living quarters; and the Collection Roux comprises several hundred ceramic figurines depicting life in medieval and Renaissance times.