Artist village with a radiant blaze of colors
At least since the expressionists August Macke and Paul Klee immortalized the city enthroned high on a rock above the Gulf of Tunis in their pictures shortly before the outbreak of World War I, Sidi Bou Said has cast a spell over everyone. The place with the Andalusian charm and the Moorish architecture especially enchants with its white, nested houses.
Sidi Bou Said owes its cityscape to refugees from Spain who settled here in the 16th century. The Husseinite family later moved here, followed by artists and wealthy Europeans. It is thanks to the British Baron Rudolphe d'Erlanger that the place was placed under monument protection in 1915 and was thus able to preserve its originality. Today it is the most popular excursion destination in the entire region. You should be prepared for a large crowd and avoid the weekend if possible.
The painter enchants you with a stroll through the alleys to the Cap with its panorama over the golf and the marina, a look at one or the other souvenir shop, a visit to the numerous galleries and an espresso or Thé à la menthe (peppermint tea) in the famous Café des Nattes - and artist village its visitors. August Macke immortalized the café in his 1914 painting “View of the Mosque”.
