March may be the cruelest month in Saint-Tropez . Though the world imagines this Riviera village as a non-stop hedonistic playground for the wealthy, the enduring myth of Bardot-era glamour has little to do with the daily life of its roughly 4,000 permanent residents.

Having lived on the Côte d’Azur for decades, I’ve learned to appreciate Saint-Tropez’s off-season moods. Today the sun is pale, the sky milky, and there’s a lingering winter chill in the air. Streets lie nearly empty, boutiques remain shuttered. A brisk wind whips across the yacht-less harbour.

On the Place des Lices, not a single pétanque player is in sight. A pewter-haired gentleman pedals past on a rickety bicycle. A few designer boutiques have their lights on; outside one, a bored shopkeeper slips out for a cigarette while waiting for customers.

The colourful coastline of Saint-Tropez

Armando Oliveira/Getty Images

It’s the quieter side of Saint-Tropez that visitors rarely see—the calm before the cameras arrive.…