Picture yourself on a hilltop high above the small city of Vence – set between the sun-sparkled Mediterranean and the foothills of the Alps – where a Roman stronghold once stood. Fancy yourself out for a stroll amid twisted olive trees in a history-rich territory that once belonged to St. Martin, Bishop of Tours. Think of how you are tracing the steps of medieval Knights Templars, who lingered at this spot to protect the region and work the fertile land.

A visitor’s imagination easily takes flight at the storied, 32-acre site that today is home to Le Chateau du Domaine St. Martin, a hotel that rose in 1936 above the ruins of an ancient fortress.

Since then the property has spread its wings, most recently with a 1997 addition that upped accommodations to a new total of 32 suites and six private villas. Showing off a just-completed makeover, the villas are scattered across the hillside opposite the Chateau, punctuated with slender cypress trees and backdropped by dramatically-sculpted cliffs.

Both villas and suites are cozy charmers, each different but all (including the handsome public rooms) warm with fine French furnishings, graceful antiques, and elegant fabrics. And each boasts either a balcony or terrace with a stunning overlook of a verdant valley that sweeps toward the coastline.

Inside the hotel are comforts as thoroughly up to date as the suites’ large and luxe marble bathrooms. Outside are similar signs of the times, such as the trendy infinity pool that glitters in the lavender-scented gardens where summer guests lunch alfresco.

A few steps away, however, you find yourself spinning back through countless yesterdays as you explore the ruins of a 12-century drawbridge. It’s as though the knights never left.

This fabled landscape with its seamless melding of centuries gives the soaring Chateau the feel of an enchanted castle – a place where you half expect to spy Rapunzel in the tallest tower, lowering her golden locks. For romantically-charged twosomes, it’s a heavenly hideaway, made only more so by impeccable service, painstaking attention to detail, and cuisine and wines to die for in the Michelin-starred restaurant, La Commanderie.

Prime time for a visit: the periods when Chef Philippe Guerin joins with Sommelier Rene Le Roux to stage a series of "wine evenings."

Honeymooners might be forgiven if they stray no further than the front gate. The rest of us would never forgive ourselves if we failed to explore the artful Cote d’Azur treasures that await within short drives.

Your first trek should be down the mountain to delightfully untouristy Vence, where the main attraction for visitors is the Chapel of the Rosary and its celebrated drawings by Matisse, a five-year effort completed by the aging artist in 1952.

Art lovers will also want to strike out for Nice, only a few minutes away, to tour the city’s wealth of museums, and to Grasse, where you can create your own fragrance (with aid from a professional "nose") at Parfumerie Galimard.

Beloved of contemporary artists and travelers is close-by St. Paul-de-Vence, a medieval village whose ramparts have remained unchanged since erected in the 16th century, and whose steep and narrow old streets beckon with galleries and shops.

Plan a stop for a perfect lunch of Mediterranean sea bass on the summer terrace of Le Saint-Paul, a 16th-century private residence turned beguiling inn. Owner Olivier Borloo will welcome you personally.

Information: e-mail [email protected] or visit www.Chateau-St-Martin.com.