Follow the guide: a guided tour for street art lovers in Toulon

Meet us in front of the temporary Boutique Bleue, located on rue Pierre-Sémard until August 16. " It's crowded today! " Anthony is the actor in charge of the guided tour this Saturday afternoon.

The idea came from the Toulon Trade and Crafts Office (OCAT) and its president Boris Touaty, who, in keeping with current events and the Banksy exhibition at the Toulon Art Museum, imagined a blue line drawn on the ground in the lower town. This leads passers-by from shop to shop, in which local artists have hidden nods to the world of the master of Street art. The OCAT thus entrusted the company La Divine Usine with the task of " creating this project, which can benefit shopkeepers, while introducing Banksy ," explains Stéphanie Slimani. This line on the ground is very simple, very autonomous, very easy, and these dramatized visits give people the opportunity to take a small step aside and discover this city differently ."

Underwater passage and (almost) Disney castle

So that's the starting point. But back to Anthony. The guide of the day sticks a sticker, blue, of course, on each member of his group, and begins his little tour. Rue du Noyer, Place Camille-Ledeau, Rue de la Glacière... In each alleyway, in each shop he passes, the actor points out elements of urban art, Then, always: " Come on, let's follow the blue line! "

On Rue d'Alger, a short break in front of a chair painted by Robin des Bancs, " a Toulon association that places chairs and decorations so we can sit down ." " And now, here, we're going to take a passage that we can't cross by walking, we have to swim, " says Anthony, intriguingly. The young man begins to mime the crawl, and enters... the Passage des Riaux, recently transformed into an underwater world by the collective Les Mains Sales.

We enter new stores, looking for hidden Banksy references. Here, in a fitting room, for example, is a reproduction of Disney Castle with a small flag planted on it... bearing the logo of a famous adult site. " It's reminiscent of Dismaland, the amusement park created by Banksy, which is a reverse copy of Disneyland ," explains Anthony.

Relaxed and poetic atmosphere

The blue-stickered gang continues on their merry way. Joking and interested. The guide, meanwhile, shares little anecdotes in a relaxed, playful, and poetic atmosphere. In the maze of small streets of Old Toulon, we didn't even realize we were already back on the Rue des Arts.

The paths of the two separate. But many of them haven't finished with the old town yet. Here, we're feeling a bit peckish and have spotted something to satisfy our sweet tooth. There, a small group is sitting on a terrace enjoying a coffee. Over there, we've fallen in love with some 100% local fashion creations. The shops we pass by have given us some ideas, it seems... Win-win!

Free guided tours this Saturday, August 9, at 10:30 a.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. Reservations required, directly at the blue boutique (19 rue Pierre-Sémard), by email ([email protected]) or on Instagram (@Bleustreettoulon).