From opening time, they come. Tourists, fans, the curious. All climb toward the seaside cemetery to leave a flower, take a photo, touch the headstone. Since Brigitte Bardot's death, her grave has become one of the most visited spots in the village. And the flow never stops.
The cemetery keepers confirm it: a steady procession. In summer, naturally, it's madness. But even off-season, tour buses pull up below, groups trudge up the steep path, phones come out. People snap pictures, pay respects (sometimes), move on. Some leave notes, roses, stuffed animals.
For Tropeziens, it's a strange spectacle. The seaside cemetery has always been a quiet place, facing the sea, where you come to honour the village elders. Now it's become a stop on the tourist circuit, alongside la Ponche or the Citadelle. BB, global icon, draws more visitors dead than alive. It's unsettling, a bit awkward, and entirely Tropezian.
The mayor's office is considering ways to regulate visits better, to preserve some peace for other families. But hard to turn away tribute to the woman who put the village on the world map. Bardot remains the star, even six feet under.
