| Tourtour
Beautiflul little village close to Flayaosc with spectacular views,
a pretty square and plenty of interesting shops.
This medieval perched village has a magnificant view out across the
surrounding countryside, especially from the low hill where the restored
19th-century church and cemetery sit. The hillsides are all forested,
and you can identify distant, lower villages with the help of the
"table d'orientation", and if it's clear you can see the
Maures, the Luberon, Ste. Baume and the Ste. Victoire near Aix-en-Provence.
Tourtour is nicknamed the "village dans le ciel", or village
in the sky; viewed from afar it seems to sit on top of the horizon
dominating the rest of the landscape.
The village is picturesque, with the road from the southeast entering
through an arch (photo to the right). The centre square is well shaded,
by a some emormous olive trees. The "oliviers" replace a
pair of enormous elms planted in 1638 when Anne d'Autriche stopped
on her pilgrimage to Cotignac. There's a 17th-century "Moulin
à huile" (oil mill) in the village, and a "lavoir"
on the rue de le Lavoir going out of the village to the north.
The village center also includes an imposing 16th-century chateau
with massive round towers at each corner (one dating to the 12th century).
The chateau is ancient, well restored, and in use: one side houses
the Mairie and another houses the post office. Fête: 4 September;
fête folklorique: first Sunday in August.
Saint-Tropez
Once the home of Henri Matisse, Paul Signac, Picasso, Francoise Sagan,
Jacques Prévert and many others. Made famous by Brigitte Bardot
as a place for the rich and famous. It was once a small fishing village,
and now a harbour for very large, expensive yachts. The old town is
filled with quaint medieval streets, tiny squares and alley ways lined
with exclusive boutiques. A typical Provençal market is held
every Tuesday and Saturday morning in the Place des Lices. Celebrity
spotting is a favourite sport in the summer. The Night life is lively.
Helicopters can add to this, bringing elegant guests to private parties
in one of the many luxurious villas on the bay.
Lorgues
One of the most ancient villages in provence. The "Font Basse"
(Low Fountain) or "Font Couverte" (Covered Fountain) is
a classified historic building that was built by religious orders
in the Midle Ages. The Ben-Va Chapel has frescos from the 15th century.
AOC Cotes de Provence is exported worldwide. It has a wide choice
of restaurants including a Michelin-starred one, particularly well
known for its truffles.
Lorgues is a small fortified Provençal town, and much of
the ancient wall, defensive "portes" and other old buildings
remain beautifully intact. The old narrow streets have vaulted passages,
ancient stairs, and many buildings and doorways contain lovely stone
carvings. Many of the old "portes" allowing entrance into
the walled central village, such as the 11th-century Porte Sarrasin
and the 12th-century Porte Trébarry (our photo), still have
the look of antiquity with their weathered grey stones. The market
is held every Tuesday mornings and is very popular, one of the best
in the area. Marché aux raisins (grapes): 18 September. Foire:
13 March, 18 September, 30 October, 4 December, 26 December, Fête:
18 September.
Villecroze
Picturesque Provençal village with plenty of medieval alleys
and fountains. Villecroze also has underground caves, or "Grottes",
and a watterfall, which are definitely worth a visit. It also has
a few wine "domaines" that make for good wine tasting. This
perched, medieval village is established around a group of caves,
some of which are used as dwellings. The main village has a large,
shaded square, for parking, playing "pétanque", or
sitting at one of the many outdoor café-restaurants. The "vieille
ville" (old town) is meticulously restored, with many of the
original arched walls remaining.
The "grottes troglodytes" at the edge of the village are
in a series of "tuff" cliffs, a very porous, volcanic rock.
The site is now part of a municipal park, well landscaped with lawn,
pools, plants and trees. A 40m waterfall cascades down the front of
the cliffs to one side, while a series of little paths wind up the
cliff face further to the right. The park is open every day, but entrance
into the caves is only during May-September. Foires: 28 February,
11 November. Fête: St. Romain, Sunday following 8 August.
Châteaudouble
Châteaudouble is located north of Draguignan on a redoubtable
rocky spur overlooking a series of fantastic gorges and valleys cutting
through the thickly forested hills. The village clings to the rocky
cliffs, with a pair of towers above: one in ruins, on the banks of
the river Nartuby, and the other is still standing, perched at the
top of Nartuby's slopes overlooking the green canyons of Châteaudouble.
The name, which means double castle, is because of these two castles.
This semicircular village has wonderful "calades" (rising
and falling paved streets), fountanins and a church. The turbulent
past of this village reveals itself through the streets with their
wide gently mounting staircases, the vaulted passages, the façades
sculpted with crosses (the symbol of the knights of the Crusades)
and the eighteenth century houses along the river's edge.
The canyons of Chateaudouble have been carved out by the river Nartuby
and are surrounded by fragrant and colorful underbrush. The prehistoric
caves (classified): Grottes des Chevres (Goat Caves), Grottes des
chauves souris (Bat Caves), and the Grottes du Mouret. can be found
nearby.
Le Muy
Is home to the the most important market in east Var and a famous
vineyard, Château du Rouet. A residence dating from Napoléon
III with a large park in typîcal Mediterranean style. Situated
in the plains of Argens between the mountain chains of Maures and
Esterel, Le Muy has three rivers and several ponds which make it an
ideal spot for fishing and canoeing. Mountain climbing is possible
too, due to the stunning porphyritic clifts rising up in the middle
of this rich environment.
The road which links Le Muy to Bagnols en Foret goes through the forests
of Rouet and has wonderful landscapes. The market is open every Thursday
and Sunday morning.
Ampus
This small picturesque hill top 10th century village commune is typical
of Provence medieval village. It has beautiful fountains and arched
passages in the charming small shaded narrow streets of this 11th
century village.
In the near Ampus beautiful walks can be taken in the Gorges de la
Nartuby where you will be able to have a splendid view from the bridge
le pont de Raton. The church of Notre Dame de Spéluque is a
classified historic building, and is also worth a visit.
Ampus is well known for it's, olives, truffles, mushrooms, sheep,
goat's milk cheeses, and honey of lavender.
Les Arcs
This is an attractive village dominated by the heritage protected
11th century medieval citadel and is the wine centre for the Cote
de Provence. Pass through the clock tower gateway and you will discover
a medieval place with a mixture of steep streets and old buildings.
The area between the "sarrasine" tower (11th century dungeon)
and Paul Simon square, called the "Parage", is the oldest
in the medieval town. (11th to 13th century).
Leas Arcs has a medieval heritage with the "Parage" and
St Roseline chapel, the St Jean-Baptiste church which has a crib and
retable that dates from 1501 with 16 Bréa compartments , Maison
des Vins des Côtes de Provence (wine tasting centre), horse
riding, canoeing-kayak, fishing.
The Parage Medieval area:
Leave your car in the Town Hall square and walk. Just wander round
the narrow streets. From the highest points looking over the village
roof tops you can see the Maures and the Roquebrune rock.
The Parage tower, 11th century dungeon, remains of the ancient Arcubus
Castrum and the St Pierre chapel from the 13th to 15th centuries,
with its two naves and side chapels.
The St Roseline chapel:
Located outside of Les Arcs on the D91, nestling at the foot of a
hill among the vines of the St Roseline vineyard this classified monument
dates from the XIIth century and holds the shrine and relics of St
Roseline.
On the initiative of Marguerite Maeght, modern works of art have
been added to the altar and cross which date from 1635 and the 14th
century Nativity retable. (A Chagall mosaic, a bronze lectern by Giacometti
and stained glass by Ubac and Bazaine). The market is held every Thursday
morning.
Le Luc
Le Luc itself is an unspoilt typical small rural village of the area.
It nestles in the valley of the beautiful River Argens, between densely
forested mountains to the north west, and rolling hills in the south
leading to the sea.
The historic town center, with it's narrow streets and little streams,
watched over by the 27 meter high Hexagonal tower and the campanile
of the Roman clock tower, offers a pleasant environment
As with most small towns and villages in the region, life revolves
around the open market square, and Le Luc also boasts a public swimming
pool, and tennis courts, Centre Var History Museum, Regional Stamp
Museum, Horse riding, leisure centre, karting, with many superb golf
courses nearby.
There are excellent restaurants and cafes, and swimming and fishing
in the L'Argens river. Many local Chateaux produce fine wines, especially
the reds and roses, which are readily available to sample. On Friday
mornings, the village hosts its regional Market Fair.
Fréjus
Fréjus is a large, sprawling town with some famous Roman ruins.
It's also a very popular summertime tourist town, although the center
of town is a couple of km from the beaches, which are 2 km long and
100 m wide of fine sand, between Fréjus and St. Raphaël.
The market is held every Friday and there is a Fête each year
on 15 August.
Saint Raphaël
The lovely resort of St-Raphaël sits halfway between St-Tropez
and Cannes. Bordering on the Var and Alpes-Maritime départments,
it manages to marry the glamour of the Riviera and the timeless feel
of a Provençal village. With 36Km of indented coastline and
more than 30 different beaches - some sand, some pebble St-Raphaël
is very spread out but this section of the coast is rightly famed
for its beauty. The coves and inlets are carved from the red rock
of the mountains giving rise to pink outcrops with the wooded hinterland.
With five separate harbours, the former fishing community attracts
keen sailors by the boatload. For supervised beaches, choose from
the Plage du Veillat, Beaurivage, Péguière, Le Dramont,
Agay and Le Lido.
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Tourtour Village
Bell tower at St. Tropez
St. Tropez harbour
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