Sud de France Magazine Summer 2013 by Sud de France Développement

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TheSouthofFrance, akaleidoscopeofcolours Special edition published by the société du journal Midi Libre Ltd with a capital of 6 356 302 € Principal Shareholders : GSO – SA – FCPE GMLA Head Office: rue du Mas de Grille 34430 Saint-Jean-de-Védas Postal address: 34438 Saint-Jean-de-Védas-Cedex Tél : 04 67 07 67 07 Publication director: Alain Plombat Design, coordination editorial: Didier Thomas-Radux Mail : dtradux@midilibre.com Texts : Anne Schoendoerffer, Didier Thomas-Radux, Marie Vanhamme, Anne-Pauline Principaud, Claire Mondrian. Photo credits: Paul Palau, Bernard Liégeois, William Truffy, Marc Dantan, Aurélio Rodriguez, Marie Vanhamme, OT de Mende, Ville de Frontignan, Fotolia, Anne Schoendoerffer, Jean Bernard, Bruno Calendini, Didier Thomas-Radux, Sensotek, Paillote Bambou, Rudy Kutzki, Golf Mas Huston, Richard de Hullessen, MPP, BIM, archives Midi Libre. Cover photo (étang de Thau) : Marc Dantan. Stylisme photo : BOH Déco – Jessica Ballion-Ohana www.bodeco.com Very best thanks to : Véronique et Julien Lucas, Céleste et Octave Thomas-Schoendoerffer. Layout: Studio IDM, Saint-Jean-de-Védas. Printed in Europe. Legal deposit on publication: ISSN Number: 2112-7468 Joint Committee: 0413K 90782 Midi Libre - juin 2013 ©

Editorial

EDITORIAL

ive the South in Languedoc-Roussillon, where landscape and architecture, villages and inhabitants, combine in one harmonious heritage -- from the Pyrénées-Orientales to Lozère, from Hérault to Gard to Aude. Nature, preserved yet accessible to all, invites you to combine recreation and relaxation. Languedoc-Roussillon is a region of contrasts: from the Mediterranean to the Pyrenees, from Margeride to the valley of the Agly River, the wild beauty of these sites is equaled only by the peaceful charm of 220 miles of shoreline beaches, not to mention its rivers and canals. Here the unique is within reach: Languedoc-Roussillon has more UNESCO World Heritage monuments and sites than any other region in France. These include the Cité de Carcassonne, the Canal du Midi, the Pont du Gard, the Chemins de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle (mediaeval pilgrims’ Way of Saint James), the Vauban Fortifications, and, since 2011, the Causses and the Cévennes. But the bounty of this extraordinarily diverse region does not stop there. Cities on the move and villages safeguarding their traditions, Michelin-starred chefs showcasing regional specialties and vineyards welcoming wine-lovers: a kaleidoscope of colours, fragrances, and flavours. Languedoc-Roussillon has earned its reputation as one of the finest regions for tourism in France! Christian Bourquin President of the Languedoc-Roussillon Region Senator

Alcohol abuse damages your health. Consume in moderation. Languedoc Roussillon

www.destinationsuddefrance

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SUMMARY SUD DE FRANCE Key Culture and Heritage

4-17 CLASSICS

City of Art

THE SIX LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON UNESCO-LISTED WORLD HERITAGE SITES: CITÉ DE CARCASSONNE (6-7), CANAL DU MIDI (8-10), CHEMINS DE SAINTJACQUES-DE-COMPOSTELLE (11), PONT DU GARD (12-13), CAUSSES AND CÉVENNES (14-16), FORTERESSES VAUBAN (17). • TOUR: THE CANAL DU MIDI, FROM BÉZIERS TO SOMAIL (10)

18-65 DESTINATION THE MÉDITERRANEAN

FROM PORT-VENDRES TO THE PETITE CAMARGUE, THE MAGIC LION (20-37) • TOUR: AROUND THE LAKES OF BAGES AND SIGEAN (23) • TOUR: FROM ARESQUIERS TO THE ÉTANG DE THAU (30) • PORTFOLIO : BEACH HUTS BY THE SHORE (26-29)

OF THE

GULF

CITIES

summary

FROM PERPIGNAN TO NÎMES, STORIES IN STONE (38-51) • TOUR: FROM MONTPELLIER TO PIC SAINT-LOUP (47) • TOUR: 24 HOURS IN MENDE (49)

REGIONS

FROM THE CANIGOU MASSIF TO BEAUCAIRE, AN OPEN-HEARTED HERITAGE (52-65) • PORTFOLIO : THE SHORELINE, THE CATALAN COUNTRYSIDE, THE CÉVENNES, THE GRANDS CAUSSES… PLACES OF UNIQUE CHARM (60-63)

66-79 AN ART OF LIVING

FROM BRASUCADE TO LOZÈRE LAMB, A KALEIDOSCOPE • THE BIGGEST VINEYARD IN THE WORLD (68-69) • PRODUCE AND RECIPES (70-76) • MARKET PORTRAITS (71-77) • GASTRONOMY: AMBASSADORS OF TERROIR (78-79)

OF FLAVOURS

80-96 ACTIVITIES ENDOWED MUSEUMS, UNMISSABLE FESTIVALS

DESIGN A

REGION OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN AT THEIR FINGERTIPS

NATURE A

(82-83)

Golf Animal Park Aquarium Mountain Resort Marina River trips Airport

Landscaped gardens

(84-85)

(86-87)

Company tour

AND WELLBEING

BREATH OF FRESH AIR!

ENCHANTING THE BRAND THE SOUTH

(88-93)

ACCOMMODATIONS

MADE-TO-MEASURE

HOLIDAYS AND LUXURY ESCAPES

FRANCE,

AN EXEMPLARY BRAND

VISITING WHAT

Waterways

Regional Nature Park

CRAFTS GENIUS

Thermal Station

TGV Station

CULTURE RICHLY

Remnants of the Past

TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

(94)

(95)

(96)

Eco-friendly Holiday Resort One of the most beautiful villages in France Unesco

More information

To round out your reading and your knowledge of Languedoc-Roussillon, ‘Sud de France Développement – Tourisme en Languedoc-Roussillon’ offers several additional features: A new website: destinationsuddefrance.com An iPhone app: monSuddeFrance An iPhone app: Sud Prestige, to download from iTunes. Finally, the small black square attached is a QR code and provides you with direct access to the sunfrance site, www.destinationsuddefrance.com. Use your smartphone to scan the code and you will automatically be taken to the Sud de France homepage. Development – Tourism in Languedoc-Roussillon. SUDDEFRANCE - 2 -

The “Pavillon Bleu” (“Blue Flag”) - Environment Quality Label The Way of Saint James Rivers and canals of the Midi The Domitian Way

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The Causses and the CĂŠvennes Unesco World Heritage

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PONT DU GARD

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Languedoc-Roussillon glories in a unique heritage, forged by nature and history. Few regions of France are as rich in diverse and internationally listed sites. Six exceptional sites have been recognised as part of UNESCO’s World Heritage. Besides the Cité de Carcassonne, the Canal du Midi, and the Chemins de Saint-Jacques-deCompostelle, two of which pass through the region, the listing includes the Pont du Gard, the Vauban Fortifications along the Spanish

CLASSICS

border, and, since 2011, the landscapes of the Causses and Cévennes. An impressive list, and one likely to be added to in future years, since a scientific panel is putting forward the case for recognising the Cathar cathedrals. From ancient Rome to the Middle Ages, passing through the Crusades, the epic of the Cathars, the Fronde, and all the twists and turns of history, Languedoc and Roussillon have staunchly preserved the traces of a past that shaped the world.

For more information, scan this QR code with your smart phone or log on to: www.destinationsuddefrance.com/incontournables

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CLASSICS CARCASSONNE

TheCitédeCarcassonne, Ashipofstone a thousandyears at anchor An “oppidum” (a fortified hillside camp) in ancient times, Carcassonne became a fortress from the 11th century onwards.

s they enter through the main gate, visitors are literally caught up in the maze of paved lanes. The City is known for its famous and impressive illumination on the evening of the 14th of July. It is also famous for its music festival. But we sometimes forget the history of the monument, listed as World Heritage by Unesco in 1997. Yet over 3 million people tread its ground each year. The children, bearing harmless swords with undetermined coats of arm, prove that the spirit of the place remains fascinating. At each turn of the road, if we carefully look at certain buildings, we can make out the traces of dungeons, oubliettes or loopholes in memory of its warrior past. However, the City of Carcassonne is not an open air museum. A hundred or so people still live in its dwellings, protected against any assault by the 3 kilometre long walls and 52 towers.

A blessed basilica and a castle There’s no question of merely strolling the lanes and enjoying the famous home cooked cassoulet that helped to bring fame to the city. As the Saint-Nazaire basilica, whose stones were blessed by Pope Urbain II in 1096, has everything it takes to fascinate the curious beginning with its stained glass windows. Its magnificent “Tree of Jesse”, that adorns the Virgin’s chapel in the northern wings of the basilica, probably dates back to the end of the 13th century. It represents an allegory of the Christian people, depicted by the ancestors of Jesus Christ. We can also admire the organ dating SUDDEFRANCE - 6 -

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back to the 17th century, the roman archways above the nave, or the supposed tomb of Simon de Montfort, a key figure of the crusade against the inhabitants of Albi. Another essential visit: the castle founded by the Trencavel dynasty in 1150. The building served as a stately home. Then, when the city was taken by the crusaders, the seneschals of the King of France turned it into a true fortress within the fortress. Today, the castle serves as a lapidary museum and houses a large collection of statues, sarcophaguses and objects typical of the Gallo-Roman and medieval periods.

1,000 years of history and conquests This popular tourist site, overlooking the valley Aude, finds its origins in the Gallo-Roman era. It was in around the 1st century BC that Carcassonne began to take on the substance of a small town. At that time, it was a small oppidum, a sort of refuge, nestled in a safe place on the top of a hill. It developed thanks to its ideal situation. Carcassonne is indeed right in the middle of a strategic road linking Lauragais, Corbières or, yet again, the Atlantic ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. The City’s many assets, over the centuries, captured the interest of invaders from many different shores. Beginning with the Wisigoths who seized the ramparts in the 5th century. Then came the turn of the Saracens to claim the city walls. In 1082, Carcassonne became the property of the Trencavel family. But that dynasty was not to last long either. Two centuries down the line, the famous crusaders took hold of it and built the second wall, giving the City its current aspect. In the 18th century, it was abandoned, as was the

case for many monuments dating back to the Middle Ages. Its houses and walls fell into disrepair. It was only towards the middle of the 19th century that the restoration works undertaken by a certain Eugène Violletle-Duc rescued the old stones doomed to certain death. Nowadays, the City of Carcassonne draws many a crowd... far more well-intentioned. No invaders on the horizon. Just visitors looking for paving stones, towers and vestiges, scattered over the thousand years of history that forged the City as it stands today.

Practice Free entrance to the City of Carcassonne. All year round. The Château Comtal is open every day from 10 am to 6:30 pm. Price: 8.50 € for adults, free for the under 26. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 68 11 70 70 www.carcassonne.culture.fr The Saint-Nazaire basilica is also open all year round. It is located on the place de l'Église, in the City. From 9am to 11:45am and from 1:45pm to 6pm on weekdays. From 9am to10: 45am and from 2pm to 5pm on Sundays. Free entrance. The Musée de l'Ecole is also open to the public from 10am to 7pm, at 3, rue du Plô. 3.50 €. Free for children under 12. And the Musée Mémoires du Moyen Âge, near the porte Narbonnaise, outside the City. Open daily from10am to 7pm. Prices: 5 € for adults, 3 € for children.

A city of fire For more than a century – the first bonfires were set alight in 1898 for the festivals of Gascogne and Languedoc – every year, the most magnificent light display takes place in the mediaeval city of Carcassonne, illuminating its majesty. On the 14th July, to celebrate Bastille Day from 10.30 p.m. more than 400,000 spectators witness, their mouths agape, the stunning green, red and yellow firework display with some 20,000 fireworks bursting, shimmering and flickering over the city for over 20 minutes. This show, in the most unique of settings, is certainly not to be missed!

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Viollet-le-Duc, the restorer of Carcassonne The celebrated architect Eugène Viollet-leDuc was one of the saviours of the Cité de Carcassonne. This grand old man of French architecture is known above all for his restorations of mediaeval monuments. In 1834, Prosper Mérimée, at that time the Inspector General for Historic Monuments, published a travel journal in which he described the dilapidated state of the Cité, whose architecture he considered splendid nonetheless. He entrusted the restoration to one Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who had his work cut out for him: in the mid-19th century, the city walls were crumbling and their stones were stolen away. The roofs were sinking in. The interior walls were flaking apart. The towers were used as storage sheds… There was no time to lose. Work began with the Saint-Nazaire basilica in 1844. Then, with the authorisation of Napoleon III, the restoration of the city walls began in the 1850s. This involved tearing down the housing that had accumulated against the ramparts. Even if most of the work was concentrated on roofs and battlements, experts credit Viollet-le-Duc with the restoration of 20% of the Cité. But when he died in 1879 his project was still unfinished. He bequeathed the work to his disciple Paul Boeswillwald. Nevertheless, Eugène Violletle-Duc was responsible for the rehabilitation of the Basilica, the Porte Narbonnaise, and the west and north fortifications of the Cité. Over the years, his decisions were harshly criticized by some of his peers. Viollet-le-Duc championed rational architecture and, when restoring monuments, a reinterpretation of the original architecture. In the Cité, his conical roofs and slate coverings are inconsistent with the Roman architectural remains. But his choices were directly inspired by the mediaeval architecture of northern France, on which he had already worked. Nothing indicates that these forms and materials were used in southern France. But today Viollet-leDuc’s touch is appreciated as one of the many stages in the architectural history of the Cité.

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CanalduMidi: ABoatman’sParadise

New plane trees for the centuries to come In 1944, GI’s landed in Provence with their munitions boxes fabricated out of plane tree wood and that is when the fungus first arrived and the initial problems started. Ceratocystis platani is a fungus which has been attacking the plane trees along the Canal du Midi’s banks.The fungus causes a cankering of the wood and forcibly leads to any infected trees having to be chopped down. Cause for alarm for the 42,000 plane trees bordering the canal, even though the canal was not originally tree-shaded, the trees having been planted in the 19th century. Since 2006, infestations had been observed. In Trèbes in the Aude, a plantation of 160 parasite-resistant plane trees was successfully developed by late 2011. Clearing and replanting took place throughout 2012. Although the work was officially the French government’s, the owner, VNF (Navigable Waterways of France) solicited local authorities and sponsors for financial contributions.

o you need to be a good sailor to try out the Canal du Midi adventure? The mirror of water beneath the plane trees, unwinding its curves between the Mediterranean Sea (Sète) and the Atlantic Ocean over 241 km, is paradise... for all. Barge owners living on the water all year round, tourists, hardened travellers, all aspire to a place on the canal listed as Unesco World Heritage in 1996. This quiet and peaceful holiday route is in full swing between April and October. In the summer, the English, Dutch and Russians come to claim their share of happiness, treading in the brilliant tracks of history. « Everyone knows Carcassonne and Montpellier. Quite simply, because in between, there’s the canal » jests Françoise Bousquet, a wine grower in Capestangen Minervois. From the banks, this “land-dweller” watches the constant parade of barges « up to three SUDDEFRANCE - 8 -

a minute at the peak of summer ». PierrePaul Riquet’s masterpiece, built in 1666 and 1681 to link the river Garonne to the Mediterranean Sea (hence its initial name : “canal of the two Seas”), hides within its meanders some 328 civil engineering structures: tunnels, locks, spillways*, bridges, etc. The challenge, at that time, was to bring water from the Montagne Noire to Nauouze, the highest point along the route. Pierre-Paul Riquet’s engineering genius gave rise, after 14 years of unremitting work (a vocation for the builder who poured his entire life and fortune into the project), to this route dotted with civil engineering structures that defy the laws of physics and are an ode to beauty. The masterpieces, scattered throughout, parade along the water, and even include a few “architectural follies” such as the round lock in Agde, the Gailhousty spillway on the “canal de la Robine”, or the Malpas tunnel, forging the connec-

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CLASSICS CANAL DU MIDI

TOULOUSE

A CANAL UNITING THE GARONNE WITH THE MEDITERRANEAN.

SÈTE

BÉZIERS AGDE CARCASSONNE

NARBONNE

CANAL DE LA ROBINE

Pierre-Paul Riquet’s World Heritage-listed masterpiece winds over 241 kilometres.

tion with Béziers.The Languedoc section, setting off from Castelnaudary, runs through to the Thau Laguna via Marseillette, Homps, and the small port of Colombiers and Portiragnes. After Somail, you may also follow the Narbonne link through the “canal de la Robine”: in an ever wilder setting, lined with umbrella pines. As the canal unrolls its stately pace throughout, the towpaths also afford a picturesque alternative : formerly used by horses, they alternately oblige you to cross to the right bank of the canal or to join the left bank. This is another way of living life along the canal, always busy despite the apparent peace and quiet. All along the way you’ll find villages, wine cellars open for tasting, open air cafés where people gather to enjoy the summer evenings before bedtime. * Spillway: a structure to drain surplus water from the canal.

FONSERANNES LOCKS.

Feats of technology Ninety-nine locks between Toulouse and Agde, five navigable aqueducts over running water, tunnels, siphons, barrages, overflow channels… In all, 328 engineering works mark the course of the Canal du Midi. A real feat, considering that when the canal was designed, Riquet had hardly any examples on which to base his work, since few existed at the time. While the Fonserannes locks are impressive even today, other works deserve attention and respect: the port of Castelnaudary, the Agde Round Lock, etc. Special mention must be made for the water-bridges, those spectacular works letting the canal pass over another body of water! Only the Répudre waterbridge is Riquet’s work; the others were added when the Canal du Midi was modernised, notably by Vauban. The latest modifications were made in the 1970s.

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TOUR ALONG THE CANAL DU MIDI, FROM BÉZIERS TO SOMAIL Pedalling along the canal pound

BÉZIERS CAPESTANG

4 5 GINESTA

MONTADY

6 CUXAC D’AUDE

NARBONNE

Enjoy a day and a half tour of the Canal du Midi by bike -- no special training required. The route is flat and often tree-shaded. All you need is a mountain bike. Staying overnight at an inn or B&B gives you the opportunity to enjoy the canal as soon as you wake.

Pedalling in the shade of the plane trees Biking along the canal’s towpath as you leave Béziers, keep an eye out: there is a good amount of foot traffic. But once you’ve passed under the highway that spans the canal, all is calm and delightful: vineyards and fields run alongside the canal, and ducks and songbirds are glimpsed as you go. A magical atmosphere. On this part of the route, the canal follows the ancient Via Domitia. First stop: watch the boats pass through the Malpas tunnel (photo) and its channel. One hundred seventy metres long, it is the first tunnel ever built for a canal. Nearby, the Maison du Malpas is an information centre on the tunnel and the Via Domitia and an outlet for the sale of regional products. Maison du Malpas, route de l’Oppidum, every day, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 67 32 88 77

Overlooking the Étang de Montady

Sightseeing: the Fonserannes locks After parking in this well-marked neighbourhood on the outskirts of Béziers and before mounting your bike, it’s delightful to watch the working of Fonserannes' eight-step series of locks, which allows boats to climb an elevation of 21.5 metres. Above these locks were built a chapel, stables, and an inn, the latter housing a branch of the Tourist Office in season. In the 20th century, a water slope with a water-wedge system operated by two wheel-mounted motors was built beside the locks. It never worked smoothly, so was abandoned, but it may still be seen beside the locks. Béziers Tourism Office: 00 33 (0)4 67 76 20 20

Heading right from Malpas, the D162 leads to one of the most astonishing landscapes in all Languedoc: the Ensérune archaeological site. There you overlook the strange circle traced in the earth, enclosing more than 400 hectares of immense and symmetrical triangles of vineyards and fields. This visual effect is caused by ditches draining water towards the centre of this natural basin, from which it flows, first through an underground aqueduct then in the open air, towards the former lakes of Poilhes and Capestang and through the Aude. This was once the lake of Montady, drained in the Middle Ages. The archaeological site is also open for visiting. Oppidum d’Ensérune, every day from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. € 4.50 - € 7.50. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 67 37 01 23

Your route is supremely tranquil: often bordered with plane trees, the canal broadens and follows the curves of the geological site. You overlook the landscapes of the plain and enjoy the sight of picturesque old inns and tiny bridges along the canal. Sometimes the canal becomes an aqueduct passing over a water course like those of Saisse and Quarante. Here the canal is a great pound: 54 kilometres without a single lock.

A stopover in Le Somail Travellers from Toulouse once stopped in Le Somail for a night’s sleep. There was an inn, a chapel facing out from the humpbacked bridge, an icehouse, and the canal guardhouse. This 17th century architectural group has scarcely changed since. Today, the hamlet of Le Somail, in the SaintNazaire-d’Aude region, with its grocery barge, its canal-side restaurants, its hat museum, and its charming guesthouses, is an ideal stopover. Not to be missed: a night’s stay in the bedroom of the old guardhouse, rented out by Le Comptoir Nature, who also offer excellent fare based on local produce. Le Comptoir Nature, 1 chemin de Halage. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 68 46 01 61 L’O à la bouche. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 68 46 00 09 Office de Tourisme, 168, allée de la Glacière. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 68 41 55 70

Returning by the Canal de Jonction Coming back, you can go as far as the Canal de Jonction, which leads to Sallèles-d’Aude. You may decide to visit Amphoralis, a site where in antiquity amphorae and pottery were manufactured. At the Gailhousty lock, turn left: from there, follow the Canal d’Atterrissement de l’Étang de Capestang, then Cuxac-d’Aude, then Capestang and the canal by way of the D413. Amphoralis: allée des Potiers, Sallèlesd’Aude. Tel. 00 33 (0)04 68 46 89 48

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CLASSICS CHEMINS DE SAINT-JACQUES-DE-COMPOSTELLE

In thefootsteps of thepilgrims TheViaTolosana,a Romanworkofart

Of the four historic pilgrimage routes leading to the relics of Saint James in Spain, two pass through Languedoc-Roussillon: the Chemin d’Arles and the Chemin du Puy-en-Velay.

LAJO ST-ALBAN AUMONT-AUBRAC MALBOUZON

VIA PODIENSIS ST-CHÉLY-D’AUBRAC

CONQUES

ESTAING

NASBINALS

ESPALION

LODÈVE

VIA TOLOSANA ARLES

LE CRÈS

CASTRES

REVEL

ST-GUILHEMLE-DÉSERT

LA SALVETATSUR-AGOUT

ST-GERVAIS SUR-MARE

VAUVERT

VILLEFRANCHE DE-LAURAGAIS

he strength and beauty of these spectacular routes, with a host of monuments and unique tourist sites marking the way were surely factors in the decision made by Unesco to add the Way of Saint James to its list of world heritage sites in 1998. In 813 the tomb of Saint James the Greater was thought to have been unearthed in Santiago de Compostela and ever since, these pathways have seen a steady stream of pilgrims making the journey on foot to see histomb. Since the 12th century, the “Codex Calixtinus”, written by Aimery Picaud, has provided a wealth of advice for pilgrims from

all over Europe taking the routes that lead to these relics. The Via Podiensis (“Way of Puy”) lies between Puy-en-Velay and Roncevaux and the Via Tolosana also crosses LanguedocRoussillon from East to West and is counted among the four main routes. The Via Podiensis is the oldest of the routes leading to Compostela. Inaugurated in 951 by Bishop Godescalc, it extends over no fewer than 1,530 kilometres and starts at Puy-en-Velay, crossing the magnificent heights of Gévaudan in Lozère, today labelled the GR 65. We enter Lozère via Aumont-Aubrac. It is most probably upon this section of the route that the stunning vistas are matched only by the feelSUDDEFRANCE - 11 -

The Via Tolosana, otherwise known as the Arles Way, was travelled by pilgrims whose journeys started in Central Europe, Provence and the Apennine Peninsula. Sharing a section of the route with the Roman Domitian Way, this southbound journey passes through Gard and the highland towns of Hérault to link up with Toulouse. The first stage in LanguedocRoussillon, marked on maps as GR 653, starts out from the celebrated abbey of Saint-Gilles, a Roman work of art, reputed for its intricately sculpted tympanum, dating back to the 12th century and depicting scenes from both the New and Old Testaments. The Way of Saint James spans the surrounding agricultural lands within Petite Camargue and Montpellier. In the city of Montpeller itself, a pedestrian pathway fixed to the ground with bronze studding follows a part of the original pilgrimage route. The path leads to the famous Pont du Diable (“Devil’s Bridge”) (photo), the oldest Roman bridge in France built by monks from the neighbouringcommunities, including the abbey of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, another essential stop-over point. From here the path climbs up towards Lodève and then Arboras, built on the foothills of Larzac, and finally, the priory at Saint-Michel de Grandmont. Beyond this, the Way of Saint James leaves the Languedoc-Roussillon region and makes its way to Lauragais and the plains of Toulouse.

ing of solitude from which the route derives its image and profound sense of spirituality. There are pastures as far as the eye can see, over which, in the summer months, Aubrac cows peacefully graze. In winter, the same scenery succumbs to an almost tragic beauty as nature and the landscapes appear to mourn the end of summer. Between Nasbinals and Saint-Chély-d’Aubrac, the route soars to 1,368 metres, one of the highest points along the route. And here, yet more astounding beauty. This point is considered a historic landmark and is symbolic of the world heritage that the the Way of Saint James represents.

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ThePont duGard, astoneflagship in thegarrigue

Built in around 50 years AD, the Pont du Gard is the centrepiece of a 50 km long aqueduct, supplying Nimes. And the majestic symbol of the genius of mankind.

or two thousand years this stone sentinel has been soaring over the river Gardon, close to the boundaries of the Gard department, not far from Nimes and Avignon. A symbol of the genius of Roman architecture, the Pont du Gard is but a tiny link of a structure stretching over 50 kilometres, connecting the sources of the river Eure, near Uzes, to Nimes which, in the first century AD, was one of the largest GalloRoman settlements. The aqueduct was built to provide the city with new possibilities, to create fountains and Roman baths and enhance its prestige within the Roman empire. The bridge remains the jewel of the structure with its 64 arches spread over three levels, rising to the height of 48.77metres above the river and spanning 490 metres. SUDDEFRANCE - 12 -

An inspirational bridge Paradoxically, it was at the very time that a part of the upper structure of the Pont du Gard was looted for its stones, in the 12th century, that the design of this work inspired other builders. Some architectural elements of the old bridge, particularly its juxtaposed arches forming vaults, served as models for the construction of many Romanesque religious edifices in the region. But the Pont du Gard also inspired the engineers of other bridges. Its system of arches was reproduced for the famous Avignon bridge, Pont Saint-BĂŠnĂŠzet, in the 12th and 14th centuries. The mediaeval bridge Pont-Saint-Esprit also displays architectural elements derived from it.

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CLASSICS PONT DU GARD

Poets’ delight The majesty of the Pont du Gard has aroused the admiration of poets and writers for ages: «I explored the three levels of this superb ediﬁce, respect almost forbidding me to tread it beneath my feet. The echoing of my steps beneath the great vaults seemed to make me hear the voices of those who had built them.» Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Confessions, Livre VI, 1765)

«It is impossible to imagine the effect produced by this granite chain linking two mountains, by a rainbow of stone ﬁlling the entire horizon, by these three levels of porticoes splendidly gilded by eighteen centuries of sunlight.» Alexandre Dumas, père (Impressions de voyage, 1834).

«The soul is abandoned to itself, and the attention is inexorably ﬁxed on this work of the people-as-king before one's eyes. This monument must have the effect, it seems to me, of sublime music.» Stendhal (Mémoires d’un touriste, 1838)

This makes the Pont du Gard the highest aqueduct bridge of the Roman era. A height commanded by the slope and required to exert pressure on the water within the structure, even though the gradient is not regular throughout. At the outcome, the Romans succeeded in building a structure weighing several million

tonnes (the bridge alone is an estimated 50,000 tonnes) with a slope of less than 25 centimetres per kilometre... But in fact, this glorious edifice operated fully for barely 140 years. It began deteriorating as from the 3rd century and the aqueduct was permanently abandoned and partially dismantled for its stone in the 6th century. If the bridge was

Let there be light The site of the Pont du Gard has been refurbished for the 21st century and is now home to a multitude of educational, cultural, and performance events. ‘Mémoires de Garrigues’ introduces visitors to the flora and rich heritage of the region. June’s ‘Fééries du Pont’ is a son-et-lumière show of a rare poetic quality, staged every year by the artists of the Groupe F, where the ancient bridge becomes the setting of an incredible, dreamlike choreography. In July, finally, the site becomes the setting for the intense rock, pop, or soul concerts of ‘Lives au Pont’. Not to mention that every night from July 1 to August 31 the Pont du Gard is illuminated by the lighting designer Claudette Viguier.

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not demolished, to the contrary of the rest of the structure, it is because the water carrying viaduct was rapidly used as a crossing bridge, even though the contempt of time and mankind threatened its existence on several occasions. It was first repaired in the 1700s, to avoid its imminent ruin. The first restoration campaigns began in 1745 and as from 1840, the bridge figured on the list of major monuments. Listed as World Heritage by Unesco in 1985, the Pont du Gard has been entirely redeveloped over the past decade, to become the jewel within a setting of 165 hectares with areas of special interest, the museum of the bridge and aqueduct, a games library and arboretum in the garrigue, hosting an increasing number of events (concerts, fireworks...). Over one million people yearly pace the bridge, the most visited antique monument in France. Site du Pont du Gard, Vers-Pont-du-Gard. Tél. 00 33 (0)820 903 330. www.pontdugard.fr

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CLASSICS CAUSSES ET CÉVENNES

TheCausses andtheCévennes,

anareaofoutstandinguniversalvalue

The direct result of man’s relationship with the land, the Causses and the Cévennes, now recognised by Unesco as world heritage sites, are a superb fusion of wonderfully scenic vistas and cultural traditions.

hese vast lands cover 3,000 km2, unfurling over four departments, three of which fall within the Languedoc-Roussillon region: Lozère, Hérault and Gard, proudly standing between the gateway cities of Alès, Ganges, Lodève and Mende. The diverse range of landscapes are each as stunning as the next. The valleys of the Cévennes are uniformly adorned with chestnut groves, vineyards and mulberry trees. Mounts Aigoual and Lozère stand tall with their spiked and jagged granite ridges and unbounded views over swathes of fores-

TERRACED LANDSCAPES TYPICAL OF THE CÉVENNES.

try and the migratory herds of the grasslands. The Causses are vast limestone plateaus, scattered with rocky outcrops, stretches of turf and tumultuous gorges, scarring the mountainside... An architectural covenant established between man and nature, the Causses and the Cévennes have succeeded in safeguarding this magnificent landscape for generations to come. The scenery is very much representative of the Mediterranean mountainous region, which is unfortunately in steady decline throughout Europe, along with the traditional agricultural-pastoral way of life - non-mechanical farming methods and catSUDDEFRANCE - 14 -

tle-breeding - that thrived upon it for so long. And it is precisely because this distinctive terrain was forged over generations of families, both past and present, developing systems of agriculture, forestry and grazing livestock, that in June, it was listed by Unesco as a world heritage site. A total of 231 communities form part of this listing, of which 86 are in Gard, 82 in Lozère and 28 in Hérault. The highlands of the Causses and their wide-open expanses of dry grasslands have, for so long, born the fruit of our ancestors’ labour and are still abundantly productive today, sheep breeding being the most advantageous sector.

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NÎMES-LE-VIEUX TUMBLING OVER THE CAUSSE MÉJEAN IN LOZÈRE. A TEMPLAR’S CROSS ON MONT LOZÈRE.

Despite the revolution in farming methods, with the decrease in the number of farmers (no more than 100 are presently active) and the increase in the size of holdings having meant that herding has seen a great many changes over the years, agro-pastoralism has remained close to its roots and continues to be practised in much the same way as it ever was.

A cultural,natural and environmental heritage Elsewhere, upon the high granite plains, cowherding/breeding is a prominent feature, whereas further down among the Cévennes shale-strewn valleys, goat rearing tends to be the more popular choice. The inherent value of these rich lands has resulted in the presence of a variety of farming organisations and methods dispersed throughout the Mediterranean region including agro-pastora-

lism, forestry, cattle herding and semi-migratory livestock breeding. Among the areas recognised by UNESCO, lie the Cévennes National Park and the Regional Nature Park of the Grands Causses, as well as exceptional sites of profound beauty : the Tarn gorges, an intricate series of rocky crevasses, the Circus of Navacelles (photo), an enormous meander chiselled into the ground, a canyon left abandoned by the River Vis... But this region of international repute also entices visitors into exploring other paths, the roads less travelled, where they are invited to unearth yet more of the treasures that this magnificent collision between nature and generations upon generations of man has to offer... Isolated farms, small hamlets, vaulted barns – used for keeping sheep, cellars, the flatlands – used by shepherds for herding in the summertime, sheep-trails, cattle tracks, natural oases used for watering livestock, bridges over the rivers and streams… So many features are revealed, all of them demonstrating proof of the ever-present agropastoral system. Along the Cévennes valley slopes, the construction of stone-reinforced terraces divided up by dry-stone walling testifies to the necessity of expanding useable land for agricultural purposes. On the Mont Lozère, granite blocks engraved with the Maltese cross serve as a strong visual reminder of the erstwhile occupancy of these lands by the “Hospitaliers” (a military order) and the vast stretches of land they required for their animals. Causses ewes, Aubrac cows and Alpine goats can readily be seen strolling the lengths and breadths of the Cévennes valleys, along the Causses plateaus or the Aigoual peaks, another feature that has been so very much a part of this landscape for over three millennia. www.caussesetcevennes.com SUDDEFRANCE - 15 -

Aigoual,the peak of the Cévennes A historic high point (in every sense of the word) for rebel Camisards and Maquis alike, the ‘roof of the Cévennes’ tops out at 1,565 metres. From this height, the panorama of the Cévennes range is spectacular: on a clear day, you can see the Mediterranean, the great bulk of Mont Lozère to the north, and the Monts du Cantal and the Pyrenees to the east. Here in 1897 the Mont Aigoual weather observatory was built, modeled on a castle stronghold to resist sun and storms. Today it is the last inhabited mountain observatory in France. Throughout the year, in wind, snow, and fog, five meteorologists take turns surveying and reporting on the weather. The station was opened to the public in 1985: 500 m2 of exhibits are available from May to September, illustrating the site and showcasing the climatology of Aigoual and the activities of Météo France. More than 800 photos of the peak at different times of year are assembled here.

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In the Causses and the Cévennes, 128 herders and their 25,000 sheep still move to the high pastures for the summer.

round the hamlet of Les Vernèdes, which clings halfway up the slope of Bougès, the landscape is typical: cultivated fields where forage and grain are raised, smooth-nibbled swathes with the rock poking through where herds have grazed, and forests of pine and chestnut trees. Here, four herders have united in the Groupement Pastoral des Hautes Terres de l’Hôpital, Myriam Grasset, President. The latter, mother of two children, left the hotel business in 1992 to take over her father-in-law’s flocks. All by herself, she cares for 130 sheep, whose suckling lambs she sells to the Marvejols cooperative. ‘A little flock,’ she says, ‘the other herders have about 250 sheep each, but they work in couples. My husband helps me reap the meadows, thank goodness -- I can’t imagine driving a tractor over such steep ground! But he works in a different profession,' she explains. When the month of May comes to an end, it is time for transhumance. Then the four herders each paint a coloured letter on the fleece of their sheep before leaving for the high pastures. The flocks are gathered at Col du Sapet. From there, they will climb Mont Lozère together, following zigzagging shortcuts to Pont-de-Montvert. After a night’s rest, they

Transhumance: Flocksinsummer will climb towards l’Hôpital, the traditional welcoming ground for transhumance, as far as Mas Camargue and the source of the Tarn, where plains and meadows studded with granite outcroppings wait to nourish them. Five herds from Lozère and Aveyron will join them to form a vast 1,500-head flock, pasturing for three months on 650 hectares owned by the Parc National des Cévennes. ‘Parklands are managed by the Mont Lozère cooperative, which assigns the fermage(1) of the summer pastures; before, we used to schedule watching over the herd according to the size of each person’s flock. Since we’ve set up the Groupement Pastoral and are eligible for assistance, we can afford to hire a shepherd. Now, once we’ve gotten our sheep moved, we only come up occasionally, if one needs special attention or to check that there’s enough salt(2)…’ Myriam explains. While their owners harvest forage SUDDEFRANCE - 16 -

and grains, the flocks, guided by the shepherd, move to the foot of their summer pasturage in case of fog or rain, and climb to the heights when the sun is bright. Their nibbling and trampling maintain an ecological balance, preserve certain plants (ferns and callunas) and animals (Montagu’s Harrier, meadow pipit, etc.), and help maintain the landscape. A practice which, over three thousand years, has produced the great open spaces of the Causses plateaus and the Cévennes peaks. 1 – Pasture lease 2 – Sea salt provided for sheep to help them digest. Transhumance is the occasion for highcoloured celebrations. The most popular festival takes place in late June at Col de l’Espérou in Gard. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 66 54 29 65.

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CLASSICS THE VAUBIAN FORTRESSES

Enduring fortresses

Villefranche-de-Conflent, listed as Unesco World Heritage, is also one of the 14 “Forts Vauban” listed sites.

illefranche (Pyrénées-Orientales) is renowned for its pink marble facing and, above all, for its surrounding fortifications to which it owes its name Villefranche, meaning “well-guarded”. The medieval city was founded in 1092 by the count of Cerdagne, to protect the surrounding valleys from invasion. The French conquered the town in 1654, obliging the Spanish to retreat. The fortifications were subsequently dismantled by the subjects of the king of France. Then, in 1669, the ramparts were built once again according to plans drawn up by certain Marquis de

Vauban. The latter was appointed Marshal of France by Louis XIV for having given France an “Iron belt”, an allegory of the multiple fortifications, including Villefranche, designed by the military architect. As visitors stroll along its paved streets, they can still make out the remains of the town as it was in the Middle Ages. “La tour du Diable”, near the church, originally dates back to the medieval period as do “la porte du Roussillon” and the “la porte de France”. The fortifications and the famous Fort Libéria both date back to the Vauban period. Created by the architect in 1681, the fort lies outside the city, set into the mountainside. It looks out over the town to which it is connected by an underground passageway, commonly named the “one thousand step” stairway. In fact, there are only 734 steps... But nothing beats the charm of legends. www.villefranchedeconflent.com www.mont-louis.net

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Mont-Louis, the citadel of Conflent When France won Roussillon back from Spanish power in 1659 and signed the Pyrenees treaty that ended the war, Vauban, the military architect, was asked to find the new Conflent stronghold. After much investigation, this was the site chosen, in MontLouis (Pyrénées-Orientales), at the meeting point of the Conflent, Capcir and Cerdagne. Work began in 1679. From the citadel, the soldiers could keep an eye on their rival’s stronghold, Puigcerdá, in Spanish territory. Beneath the citadel lies the civil section which was only inhabited a few decades later. Mont-Louis now counts some 300 inhabitants. Perched at an altitude of 1,600 metres, it is considered to be the highest fortified town in France. Its fortifications are listed as Unesco World Heritage and still house one of the last military units to occupy a site designed by Vauban : “le Centre National d'entraînement Commando” toughens up 4,000 trainees in this place each year.

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PICNIC ON THE CANAL DU MIDI.

DESTINATIONS

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In Languedoc-Roussillon, the unexpected is everywhere : how different is the Cataluña of Collioure from the Camargue of Aigues-Mortes, even though both share the same sweep of land around the Mediterranean. What a contrast between elegant Uzès and Cathar Carcassonne! From effervescent Montpellier to classical Narbonne, from Pézenas of Languedoc to Alès of Cévennes, from languourous Agde to subtle Mende, variety is supreme. So many landscapes, so many atmospheres, so many thousands of subtle fragrances. Languedoc and Roussillon are a marriage of sky and earth, of mountain and sea.

For more information, scan this QR code with your smart phone or log on to: www.destinationsuddefrance.com/destinations

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DESTINATION - MÉDITERRANÉE PAULILLES / PORT-VENDRES

Paulilles,thejewel of theCôteVermeille SEASIDE PATH ON THE CÔTE VERMEILLE.

Paulilles, a protected area sheltered remarkable flora and fauna, is absolutely unique.

n immense bay at the foot of the Albera Massif, close by Port-Vendres, Paulilles is the supreme symbol of the wild beauty of the Côte Vermeille, from Cerbère to Collioure. A landscape of contrasts between vine and sea, nestled

between Cap Béar and Cap Oullestrell, Paulilles offers three beaches – with lifeguards on duty in the summer – under the towering shale cliffs, amidst luxuriant Mediterranean vegetation. The area became a listed site in 2011, to the benefit of Pallid Swifts, Blue Rock Thrushes,

Port-Vendres, the essence of the Mediterranean Roussillon’s most important fishing port, but also a trading port, particularly for fruit from Spain and North Africa, Port-Vendres is a few kilometres from Collioure and a bit more peaceful than its bustling neighbor. The city was remodeled in the 17th century and has retained many souvenirs of its past. The monuments designed by Vauban are witnesses to that splendour. The Obélisque in pink Roussillon marble, dedicated to Louis XVI, dominates the port. Independent fishermen gather here to sell their sardines every day from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. at the corner of the quai Pierre-Forgas. In the afternoon, it’s the trawlers’ turn to dock, and every week there is a procession of refrigerated ships unloading fruits and vegetables from Morocco or West Africa. Across from the Old Port stands the monument to WWI dead created in 1922 by the sculptor Aristide Maillol, Venus extending a palm branch to those who died for France. Office de Tourisme de Port-Vendres. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 68 82 07 54

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and Spectacled Warblers, all of whom find refuge here. Idyllic as this setting may seem, its history has been explosive ... it was once a dynamite factory! This uninhabited area was chosen in the 19th century for the plant, which was in operation until 1984, when it became a brownfield site much coveted by real estate developers. The site was saved and transformed into a memorial space dedicated to Paulilles’ labour history, open to the public since 2008. A workshop for the restoration of catalanes, the region’s traditional fishing boats, has also been established. One of the other Paulilles beaches features a restaurant with a unique nighttime ambiance and a magnificent shoreline path for strolls between mountain and sea, towards Banyuls or Port-Vendres, by way of Cap Béar and its lighthouse. Maison du Site de Paulilles: 00 33 (0)4 68 95 23 40 Map of walks around Port-Vendres for sale at the Office de Tourisme.

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DESTINATION - MÉDITERRANÉE COLLIOURE

Collioure,alittleport bathedinlight Collioure, the pearl of Roussillon, nestling in a blue jewellery casket.

n the sea side, it is sculpted by creeks giving it the airs of a princess. On the land side, the vista is dotted and coloured by vineyards and terraces. Often cited as a typical picture postcard destination, Collioure (Pyrénées-Orientales) has something of the Cretan village, is not unlike Italy and enjoys a certain Catalan magnificence. But it remains incomparably poetic, not least in terms of its history, as this port city with its narrow streets has a long-standing link to the arts. Houses awash with colour invite you to stroll and daydream. It was the special light of Collioure that inspired the Fauvist painters, along with its diversity of colours. Collioure is simply bathed in light - a joyful place where cicadas sing and Paradise seems ever-present. The houses of this ancient Mediterranean trading port are ochre, orange and pink, and its beauty has led to many a battle. It served as the summer residence of the Kings of Majorca in the 12th century, before passing into the hands of the Kings of France : Louis XI and Charles VIII. It was Vauban who gave Collioure its current

appearance just before the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659 definitively returned Roussillon to France. While the fortress was expanded and the town transformed during these conquests, Collioure still retains traces of its mediaeval past. The cornerstone of the defensive system, the royal castle, listed as a historic monument in 1922, was built during the 13th and 18th centuries. The fortress of Saint-Elme, the church of NotreDame-des-Anges whose foundations inhabit the waters of the Mediterranean or the tower of Madeloc all contribute to the fame of Collioure. The city retains a wild charm,

• COLLIOURE

surrounded by inlets, a shingle beach, a little port, Catalan boats and little streets full of flowers. But make no mistake, people in Collioure speak Catalan, fish for sardines, salt their anchovies and enjoy afternoon siestas. Throughout the town, galleries and little restaurants perfect for parties await the curious. A treasure on the Côte Vermeille where no pleasure is greater than finding a little guest house for the night. www.collioure.com

The path of Fauvism In 1905, Matisse and Derain discovered the little fishing port of the Côte Vermeille. Inspired by the beauty of the landscape and the light, that summer they produced drawings, water colours, and oil paintings, in a burst of creativity. Unbound from the artistic constraints current in Paris, giving free rein to colour (Matisse painting the Collioure beach in red), the two painters originated the artistic movement known as Fauvism. Derain made only one visit, but Matisse returned four times to Collioure. Today, a walking tour through the tiny streets of the village follows in the footsteps of the two artists through a series of twenty reproductions of their works, mounted on the very spots where they were painted. Guided tour, the path of Fauvism : 00 33 (0)4 68 98 07 16 SUDDEFRANCE - 21 -

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DESTINATION - MÉDITERRANÉE ARGELÈS / GRUISSAN

FromArgelès toLaFranqui, therealmofthesands

• LA FRANQUI As the majestic silhouette of Canigou fades in the distance, the coast invites you, a long stretch of beaches dotted with ponds and resorts.

he broken shoreline of the Côte Vermeille comes to an end with the rocks of Le Racou, a picturesque listed site. From there, Argelès-sur-Mer rolls out its seven kilometres of sandy beaches. The Pyrénées-Orientales’ premier seaside resort boasts a rich heritage, of which the remaining 12th century ramparts offer an introductory glimpse. In the heart of the city, Notre-Dame dels Prats, an exemplar of the gothic architecture of southern Europe, draws the eye upward. Its Romanesque bell tower, a listed historic monument, soars to a height of thirtyfour metres. The city’s position at the foot of the Albera Massif made it the predestined home of the Casa de l’Albera. In the setting of a traditional

local house, this Centre of Interpretation showcases the landscapes of this southernmost spur of the Pyrenees, its traditions and people. A wonderful introduction before undertaking your visits to the dolmens, hermitages, and castles of a rich and tumultuous history. From the Château de Valmy, take one of the paths leading to the Tour de Massane, at an elevation of nearly 800 metres, to enjoy a superb view over the whole Roussillon plain and the shores of the Mediterranean. Leaving the resort, the main road runs alongside the national nature reserve of Mas Larrieu on the way to the beaches of Saint-Cyprien and Canet. The forest and reeds bordering the Tech River are frequented by many bird species. Port-Leucate was developed as part of France’s ‘Mission Racine’, which created five seaside resorts in the Gulf of Lion. The design of this rectilinear neighbourhood was entrusted to the architect Georges Candilis, who twinned it with a sister neighborhood, Port-Barcarès. The two waterside developments each have a marina. Port-Leucate, with

1,500 moorings, is among the largest in Europe, a perfect point of departure for Sardinia, the Balearic Islands, and Africa. No surprise, then, that Henry de Monfreid, Roussillon-born navigator and writer, had a house at La Franqui, the promontory bearing the remains of the three forts that once guarded the coast and the community of Leucate. From the ruins of its mediaeval castle, the village fans out in colourful fishermen's and vineyard workers' cottages. Ocean sports are, of course, a feature here, kitesurfing and windsurfing especially. Take the cliffside path leading to Cap Leucate for seascapes, garrigue, and vines. From there, two themed walks, the vineyard workers' path and the shepherds' path, wind through the listed and protected Leucate plateau. www.argeles-sur-mer.com Tel. 00 33 (0)4 68 81 15 85 www.tourisme-leucate.fr Tel. 00 33 (0)4 68 40 91 31 www.gruissan-mediterranee.com Tel. 00 33(0)4 68 49 09 00

The wild beauty of the Parc de la Narbonnaise Stretching over the Corbières and a vast lagoon network bordering the Mediterranean, the 80,000 hectares of the Parc Régional de la Narbonnaise are one of the last preserved natural sites of such size and diversity. Here is the happy home of Spiked Magician bush crickets, Orange-spotted Emerald dragonflies, and Southern Festoon butterflies, but also of foxes, hares, badgers, and boars who roam the garrigue through growths of centaurea corymbosa, indigenous to the Massif de la Clape and in flower from mid-May to July. You may also explore vinegarlanded landscapes, cities and villages, and the lakeside traditions of the region (eel-fishing and more). This environment combining humid zones and dry garrigue, all fragile, was made a listed and protected area in 2003, for a duration of twelve years. SUDDEFRANCE - 22 -

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TOUR OF THE BAGES AND SIGEAN LAKES NARBONNE ETANG ABBAYE DE FONTFROIDE DE BAGES GRUISSAN ET DE 3 1 SIGEAN PEYRIACDE-MER

2 ETANG DE L’AYROLLE

4 5

SIGEAN

ETANG DE LAPALME

LEUCATE LA FRANQUI

Domaine de l’Evêque, the dwelling farthest out on this spit of land. A fifty-hectare vineyard, where he produces a fine range of wines. Twice a week, in the summer, he smilingly autographs bottles for his fans, who buy them by the case! Domaine de l’Evêque, route des Salins, Gruissan Tel. 00 33 (0)4 68 75 00 48 www.chateau-beleveque.com

Experience the art of Fontfroide’s Cistercian abbey Nestling in the heart of Corbières, just outside Narbonne, richly shaded by cypress, the Abbaye de Fontfroide was founded in the late 11th century. It was acquired and restored in 1908 by Gustave Fayet, a rich artlover, who commissioned a fresco by Odilon Redon. The abbey's cloister distinguishes itself by an elegant simplicity, and its refectory's proportions are extraordinary. Outside is an enchanting rose garden, befitting this valley withdrawn from the world. Abbaye de Fontfroide Tel. 00 33 (0)4 68 45 11 08 www.fontfroide.com

From lakes to sea in Gruissan

Discover the tranquil charm of Peyriac-de-Mer Formerly a village of fishermen and salt harvesters, today’s Gruissan is a charming town, built in concentric circles, according to the traditional circulade plan of the region, around the ruins of the Tour Barberousse, from which there is a fine view of the lakes. There is a delightful market in the town centre. You must take the opportunity of strolling along Gruissan-Plage to the beach huts made famous by the film Betty Blue. In the other direction, going towards the Ayrolle lagoon, the Saint-Martin salt farms – recently returned to operation – have an old-fashioned charm. Gruissan Tourist Office Tel. 00 33 (0)4 68 49 03 25 Salins de Saint-Martin. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 68 49 59 97

After exploring the little village of Bages overlooking the lake, make a stopover in this charming vintners’ village, off the tourist track and in the heart of the Parc Naturel Régional de la Narbonnaise. The old town still has its beautiful fortified church, but the essence of Peyriac’s charm is a stroll along the old salt farms. A boardwalk leads to the Étang du Doul shore. Take the little

Tour the vineyards of Pierre Richard Why not pay a visit to the ‘Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe’? For nearly thirty years the actor Pierre Richard has been the proud owner of the SUDDEFRANCE - 23 -

path to the Roc de Berrière, and then enjoy a panoramic view of the Mediterranean. Finish your stroll by a leisurely lunch at O Vieux Tonneaux, with homey cuisine and a fine selection of wines in a convivial atmosphere. Peyriac-de-Mer Tourist Office Tel. 00 33 (0)6 28 05 16 30 O Vieux Tonneaux, place de la Mairie Tel. 00 33 (0)4 68 48 39 54

Discover African wildlife in Sigean Sigean’s African reserve, just a few kilometres from Peyriac, is home to nearly 4,000 animals roaming free over 300 hectares. Lions, chimpanzees, elephants, giraffes, white rhinos, ostriches, dwarf African forest buffaloes, gnus, antelopes, and many other animals will delight children. Sigean African Reserve Tel. 00 33 (0)4 68 48 20 20

Dinner overlooking the sea at Leucate Near the lighthouse of Cap Leucate, Alexandre Klimenko has recently opened a gourmet restaurant, Klim & Ko, showcasing his subtle and locallysourced creative cuisine. The other winning attraction of this new address? The unbeatable cliff-top view of Leucate-Plage and the shore. The building was designed especially to frame the aquatic panorama. Klim & Ko, chemin du Phare à Leucate. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 68 70 06 84. www.klimenko.fr

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DESTINATION - MÉDITERRANÉE LA CLAPE NARBONNAISE

LaClape, adoublysurprising terroir

The Massif de la Clape, between Narbonne and the sea, is ideal for lovers of unspoiled nature... and a good ‘pour’. Here is the soil that nourishes one of the region's most sought-after wines.

his small mountain range (17 km long by 7 km wide), an extension of the Corbières chain, with its white cliffs plunging to the sea and its surrounding lakes (Pisse-Vache, l’Ayrolle, Bages-Sigean), was once an island. In the 14th century, a flood in the Aude changed the course of history. The Roman Insula Laci became La Clape, clapas in occitan, meaning “pile of stones”, cherished like a diamond by the people of Narbonne, Gruissan and other places. Above all for its vineyards, which have long dominated part of the 13,500 hectare limestone area - vines have been growing there for over 2,000 years. Moreover, wine from La Clape was already famous during the Roman Empire, so much so that its winegrowers were the first to benefit from plantation rights accorded to the Roman citizens of Narbonne by the

Senate in Rome. The exceptional terroir of this network of lagoons bordering the Mediterranean, with its humid zones and dry garrigue, is the particular focus of vintners who produce consistently award-winning wines. The French National Institute of Agronomic Research has even installed an experimental viticultural station here. With its garrigue flanked by a forest of Aleppo pines, the site, listed in 1973, is a paradise for picnickers, mountain bikers, and climbers. A stroll on the massif, amongst the perfumes of thyme, wild fennel, and broom, is an intoxicating experience! The massif is now a part of the Parc Naturel Régional de la Narbonnaise, whose nearly 80,000 hectares constitute one of the few remaining natural sites of such scope and diversity. It recently won the French national label ‘Vignobles et Découvertes’! SUDDEFRANCE - 24 -

Sainte-Lucie, the unspoiled island One of the gems of the Port-la-Nouvelle area, the island of Sainte-Lucie is a little promontory between the lakes of Ayrolle and BagesSigean, bordered with former salt farms. The 250 hectares of this unique spot between Mediterranean and lakes are accessible only on foot or by bike, following the canal de la Robine through Port-la-Nouvelle. Migrant birds and roe deer have made this little island their haven. From atop the sixty-metre peak of the island you can survey lakes and Mediterranean with the same glance. During the summer season, a team is in place to welcome visitors and inform them about the fauna and flora of this unspoiled paradise, listed as a regional natural reserve since 2009. www.parc-naturel-narbonnaise.fr

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DESTINATION - MÉDITERRANÉE AGDE

A city famed for its festivals and beaches, Agde is also rich in more than 2,500 years of history.

LE GRAU D’AGDE.

Agde, landofhospitality

ymbol of his town, he has been in his birthday suit since… the 4th century BC ! The “princely posterior” of the Ephebe of Agde (Hérault), a bronze statue discovered in 1964 in the Grau d’Agde, has been on display since his return to his hometown in 1986 (after over 20 years at the Louvre). While the original is conserved in the purpose-built Ephebe Museum, the replica certainly turns the heads of motorists negotiating the roundabout each day on the southern ring road. Of such paradoxes is Agde made. Once known as the “black pearl of the Mediterranean” because of its basalt stone monuments, the city built on the remains of an ancient volcano overlooked by Mt SaintLoup has a volcanic temperament! A port city since Antiquity (it was founded in the 6th century BC), Agde has set its sights since the 70s’ and 80’s on being a seaside destination, with the construction of the resort at Cap d’Agde. Today the heliotourist centre, a 100% nudist area resort, makes this the world’s biggest nudist site in terms of numbers accommodated, with nudism the norm in the nudist village and on the “private” beaches. But this only one side of Agde, which

abounds in important heritage: the city and its ramparts, among the oldest in France, the Cathedral of St Stephen, the Ephebe museum or the rounded lock of Agde on the Canal du Midi are all popular attractions. And then there are the fine sandy beaches, a high summer paradise for the “Textiles” (as those uninitiated in the delights of nudism are called). Gently sloping and ideal for bathing, they stretch for 14 km east to west:

•

AGDE

Richelieu beach, Môle and Rochelongue beach, the shell-covered beach and La Conque beach with its black sands. At the tip of the cape, Brescou Islet, a basalt promontory topped by an eponymous fortress, is a favourite haunt for scuba divers. Meanwhile, up on the surface, water sports enthusiasts can choose between boarding, kite surfing and sailing. www.capdagde.com

Ancient treasures The Ephebe of Agde, an ancient bronze statue discovered in 1964 in Grau-d’Agde, has returned to the region to display his 'princely posterior'. (For over twenty years he was exhibited at the Louvre.) The only major Grecian bronze discovered in France, he is housed in the specially-constructed Musée de L’Éphèbe, which also features Roman bronzes and various archeological objects recovered from the ocean. A copy of the statue turns motorists' heads in the centre of the traffic circle near the southern motorway. Musée de l’Ephèbe. Tél. 00 33 (0)4 67 94 69 60 www.museecapdagde.com

SUDDEFRANCE - 25 -

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PORTFOLIO BEACHES

ZAZA CLUB - TORREILLES-PLAGE. TEMPLE BEACH - SAINT-CYPRIEN.

NAUDO BEACHCLUB CANET-EN-ROUSSILLON.

HERVÉ CÔTÉ PLAGE - CAP D’AGDE. SUDDEFRANCE 26 -

BIQUET - LEUCATE.

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n recent years, beach huts have become centres of a new and environmentally conscious art of living by the shore. From simple lounging in a beach chair to snacking to gourmet dining, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something for everyone!

BIQUET - LEUCATE.

CHIRINGUITO - TORREILLES. SUDDEFRANCE 27 -

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PORTFOLIO BEACHES

VOILE ROUGE - NARBONNE-PLAGE.

ACD - SÈTE.

PAILLOTE BAMBOU - LA GRANDE-MOTTE.

GOLF - CAP D’AGDE. SUDDEFRANCE - 28 -

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EFFET MER - LA GRANDE-MOTTE.

LÉZARDS - CARNON.

GRAND TRAVERS.

CARRÉ MER - VILLENEUVE-LÈS-MAGUELONE. SUDDEFRANCE - 29 -

BIKINIS - LA GRANDE-MOTTE.

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TOUR FROM ARESQUIERS TO THE ÉTANG DE THAU Abbaye de Saint-Félixde-Montceau

BOUZIGUES

4 6

Frontignan

BALARUC

Montpenèdre

Ba ss

MARSEILLAN

PINET

Cave de l’Ormarine, 13 avenue de Picpoul, Pinet. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 67 77 03 10. www.cave-ormarine.com

Loupian

Th au

Bois de la Villalongue

vintners. The cellar has gone all out, making available not only a full range of Picpoul, but also wines with the quality label Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP) and an astonishing sparkling wine, Picpoul brut.

Jardin Antique, rue des Pioch, Balaruc. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 67 46 47 92. Musée de l’Étang de Thau, quai du Port-dePêche, Bouzigues. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 67 78 33 57 www.festivaldethau.com

Wander through the garrigue on Gardiole After leaving Gigean, climb the slopes of Gardiole towards the old abbey of Saint-Félix-de-Montceau. The ruins of this edifice are highlighted against Aleppo pines, tufts of cistus, and Kermes oaks. Explore the botanical riches of this 5,000-hectare protected massif along its discovery trail. It ends with a superb view over Aresquiers, Frontignan, and the sea.

In the footsteps of the Romans

A break for lunch in Marseillan Another waterside area, nestled to the southwest of the Thau lagoon, Marseillan has the charm of authenticity with a pretty little recreational port. Along the quais, Noilly-Prat, the famous aperitif, produced here for 200 years, has its distillery facilities. They are open for visits -- what better way to whet your appetite for lunch? Besides the many restaurants of the old port, you may be intrigued by the Ferme Marine, a shellfish farm that has been producing superb oysters and mussels for over thirty years. Their all-you-can eat buffet invites you from April to September. The farm also offers guided tours and facility visits. Noilly-Prat, rue Noilly, Marseillan. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 67 77 20 15 Ferme Marine, route des Parcs, Marseillan. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 67 76 14 59 www.lafermemarine.fr

After your cellar visit, head for the Bois de la Vallongue. A picnic ground signals the beginning of the six-kilometre circuit (marked in yellow) leading you to the remains of the Via Domitia. The first Roman road built in Gaul (beginning in 121 B.C.E.), it ensured communication between Languedoc and Rome. You may also be intrigued by the remains of a Gallo-Roman villa at Loupian. The Pézenas Tourist Office sells maps of the Vallongue hiking circuit. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 67 98 36 40. Gallo-Roman Villa, Loupian. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 67 18 68 18.

Picpoul Tasting in Pinet 1

Take it slow beside the Thau Once you’ve come back down to Balaruc, discover the charms of l’Étang de Thau at your leisure. Gardening enthusiasts will make a pilgrimage to Balaruc's Jardin Antique, which offers a magnificent recreation of the flowers and design of an ancient Roman garden as it would have been cultivated here during the Roman Empire's reign over the Mediterranean. Seafood lovers won't want to miss Bouzigues, home of the oyster of the same name, to meet its oyster-farmers or visit the Musée de L'Étang de Thau. Boating on the lake is another enticing possibility. Mèze is a pretty little port that gets festive in July with the concerts of the Festival de Thau.

Picpoul de Pinet, a wine made from a single type of grape (the piquepoul), previously classified under Languedoc’s Apellation d’Origine Controlée, has just received its own AOC classification. Celebrate the coming of age of this bright, fruity white wine at the Cave de l'Ormarine, the cooperative cellar of more than 500 dedicated

4 SUDDEFRANCE - 30 -

Romantic dinner beside the étang The Tarbouriech family’s oyster bar has made its reputation over the past two years. This lovely spot, attractively decorated, is just outside Marseillan. The menu features the Tarbouriech specialty of pink oysters, in various sizes, brasucade (mussels grilled over a wood fire, then drizzled with a white wine and herb marinade), and Picpoul de Pinet. Feast your eyes as well as your tastebuds: from your table, admire the distant illumination of Mont Saint-Clair and the gleaming waters of the étang. Le Saint-Barth’, open Friday evening to Sunday evening, lieu-dit Montpenèdre, Marseillan. Tel. 00 33 (0)6 10 79 49 85.

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DESTINATION - MÉDITERRANÉE SÈTE • SÈTE Located between Thau Lake and the deep blue sea, Sète (Hérault) enjoys a distinctive and colourful cultural identity.

‘C

ette’ was for a long time the name of this city; it is thought that the shape of Mont Saint-Clair above suggested a whale (cetus in Latin, evolving to ‘ceta’) to Roman sailors. However dim the origins of the city’s name, we do know that this mount was a guiding landmark for navigators – and a refuge for pirates! It was only in the 18th century that 'baraquettes’ began to be built on its slopes. Families came to spend their Sunday afternoons in these little dry stone houses. Sète owes its official beginning in 1666 to three historical figures: Paul Riquet, Louis XIV, and the Chevalier de Clerville. The first was seeking an opening on the Mediterranean for the Canal du Midi, the second a port for exporting the products of Languedoc, and the last identified the Cap de Sète as the most suitable location. So the port was created. The Saint-Louis breakwater protecting the entrance of the

Sète, thelittleVenice ofLanguedoc old port has sheltered ships and boats since then. A picturesque and colourful city, Sète has two types of inhabitants. The denizens of Pointe-Courte, the lively lake-fishers’ neighborhood, are known in the local slang as pointus (‘pointies’). Little boats jostle

Jousts,a tradition for over three centuries very year since the port was inaugurated (the official creation of the city in 1666), Sète’s crowds gather on Saint Louis’ day, in August, for the famous water-jousts on the Canal Royal. As a tribute to Louis XIV, the port’s creator, the finest jousting teams confront each other in a competition lasting several days. The jouster, dressed in white and poised on the platform or tintaine of his boat, armed with a lance and shield, propelled by his ten rowers, must knock his adversary into the water. This local sport of skill and strength attracts nearly 20,000 spectators each year to ‘this singular island’, as the poet and native son Paul Valéry described it. www.ot-sete.fr

SUDDEFRANCE - 31 -

trawlers along the quais, where the waterjousts are staged. When the sailors disembark, talk is loud and free and the air has a tang of saltwater. Then there are those who make their homes in the more residential hillside neighbourhoods, where you might find mansions with sumptuous Mediterranean views or the more modest houses of ‘Little Naples’ on the heights, where many families have roots in southern Italy. When the wine business was at its height, Sète was the world's largest coopers' port and a flourishing city. The busy port, the heart of the city, animated everything. The hawkers in the fish markets and the to-and-fro of trawlers are still the stuff of daily life in Sète, even if ships are fewer than they once were. Happily, after some difficult years, Sète is once again the premier port for tuna-fishing, now ultra-regulated. Sète is also an almost uninterrupted shore all the way to Marseillan-Plage: its twelve kilometres of beaches have been refurbished in the last few years. Four free parking lots have been built, as well as an inviting promenade leading out of Sète, along which in the summer beach installations and restaurant-shacks tempt holiday visitors.

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DESTINATION - MÉDITERRANÉE PALAVAS / VILLENEUVE-LÈS-MAGUELONE

Palavas, all the charm Palavas,all of the sea!

• PALAVAS

Made famous by the artist Dubout, the little city of Palavas-les-Flots possesses an inimitable charm.

ess than 10 km to the south of the region’s capital, Palavas (Hérault) has always been Montpellier’s summer destination. Tucked between the sea and a lake, surrounded by lush natural landscape and exceptional flora, for some this town on the Gulf of Lion represents an over-popular resort to be avoided, while for others it is a Mecca of fun and relaxation. It was artist Albert Dubout who popularised the image of this spa area with his drawings of the crowded and slightly madcap beaches back when paid holidays began. He was also partial to the little train that

ran till 1968, shuttling between Palavas and Montpellier and bringing crowds of city dwellers for a dip or to unwind for an afternoon or weekend in the casino. Camping, the symbol of cut-price holidaymaking, was for a long time another symbol of Palavas. In the 1970s, singer Marc Charlan even mocked the town’s charms with his lyric “Je me casse à Palavas” (I’m buggering off to Palavas). But this former fishing village has other charms aplenty, starting with its 7 kilometres of gently sloping beaches, ideal for families with kids. The village has a fair number of restaurants around the canal

popular with summer strollers, and straw huts where visitors can enjoy sea food with their feet trailing in the water. The visual symbol of the town, the old water tower built in the 1940s, has been renovated with a revolving restaurant on top, offering an exceptional panoramic view over the coast. Palavas, soon to be accessible from Montpellier by cycle track, is the only deep-water yachting port in the Mediterranean and can accommodate over a thousand boats.

The magic ofVilleneuve-lès-Maguelone The site of the former cathedral of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Maquelone, on its vine-clustered island between lakes and sea, is a source of eternal fascination. This Roman edifice just outside Palavas was the seat of a bishopric from the High Middle Ages onward, even before the establishment of the city of Montpellier, ten kilometers away. Left to decay between the 16th and the 19th centuries, this fortified church is today a favoured stroll for Montpellier residents. It may be approached either by the shore (note that the road is closed to cars in summer) or by the enchanting village of Villeneuve, a repository of all the charm of Languedoc. The site, now occupied by the association ‘Les Compagnons de Maguelone’, which manages a work and social services centre there, features a shop with the association’s products (wine, honey, etc.) and a delightfully unexpected little restaurant. A festival of early music is held there every year in June. Reception : 00 33 (0)4 67 50 63 63 - www.compagnons-de-maguelone.org SUDDEFRANCE - 32 -

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DESTINATION - MÉDITERRANÉE LA GRANDE-MOTTE / LE GRAU-DU-ROI

Combining architectural daring and green spaces, this 1960s development is listed in France's Patrimoine du XXe Siècle (20th Century Heritage).

LaGrande-Motte, Nature,cultivated

oday it is France’s first seaside development to be listed as part of the Patrimoine du XXe Siècle. Fifty years ago, however, La Grande-Motte was a site for vines, asparagus, and thanks to its numerous marshes some forty species of mosquito! To stem the rush of French holidaymakers to the shores of Spain, the French government decided in the 1960s to develop 200 kilometres of shoreline in LanguedocRoussillon. This vast plan resulted in the construction of five seaside resorts, including La Grande-Motte, a 'holiday city'. The first time architect Jean Balladur saw the raw materials he would be working with, he was taken aback: flat country,

strong wind, and crashing waves. He decided to abandon completely the functionalist aesthetic then in vogue, offering residents and visitors a cultivated and harmonious Nature, with the wind tamed, the sun softened by shaded areas, and the sea set off in beauty. Associating Inca pyramid shapes with systems of curves and incorporating sculpture in public facilities, he gave a formal identity to this new city, maintaining a verdant environment by ensuring that two-thirds of public areas were green spaces. There are premium accommodations and

• LA GRANDE-MOTTE LE GRAU-DU-ROI

recreational facilities like a pool, a golf course, a thalassotherapy centre, and gourmet restaurants; seven kilometres of beaches border the city, featuring 14 beach-hut restaurants. The port, now equipped for 1,500, will soon be able to accommodate 2,100 pleasure craft. www.ot-lagrandemotte.fr

Water,water everywhere in Grau-du-Roi Set in a watery landscape, Grau-du-Roi (Gard) revels in a popular atmosphere.The inhabitants of this royal port founded by St Louis rejoice in the amusing names of Graulens and Graulennes, spoken in a singsong accent to boot. Around the former channel with its passageway (or grau) linking the sea to the dry port of Aigues-Mortes, the city has carved out a double identity, as a high-class seaside town (it’s Europe’s biggest yachting resort, founded in 1968 as part of the Plan Racine) and a popular tourist destination. The locality, founded by Italian immigrants in the 19th century, grew rich over time with the arrival of

a community of fishermen and farmers from all over the region. But the village’s destiny took a new turn with the development of balneotherapy in the 19th century : doctors sang the praises of the sea air and salt baths, convalescents flocked in and the town was transformed. On the right bank is the fishing port and in the city the captains’ houses, recalling the earliest days of seaside holidaying. But Grau is also lively on its left bank, past the city centre, towards the Palais de la Mer and the famous Seaquarium, then Port-Camargue.This is the dream beach for bathers from Nîmes, Cévennes, and the nearby Vaucluse, where they enjoy the sun among shops and restaurants or on the fine sand of 17 kilometres of beaches.

www.vacances-en-camargue.com

SUDDEFRANCE - 33 -

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DESTINATION - MÉDITERRANÉE AIGUES-MORTES

Aigues-Mortes, thefortresscity

• AIGUES-MORTES

Built by Saint Louis, the mediaeval city ‘of the dead waters’ still stands.

The oldest salt marsh in the Mediterranean

miniature train, or by 4x4.

Twixt salt and sea, the oldest salt marsh in the Mediterranean stretches out beneath Aigues-Mortes, forming part of the town’s economic landscape - the town’s role as a provider of salt stretches back to Antiquity. Four hundred years ago, the 15 or so existing small salt marshes were united at the initiative of a Montpellier merchant, creating the Mediterranean Salt Marsh company. The very location of the salt marshes is a reminder that the Camargue is France’s most important salt production centre. Environmentally friendly ahead of its time, the company worked in a protected natural environment deep in the Camargue, drawing its energy from the surrounding elements. In summer, the unrefined salt gives the marshes a pinkish hue.The salt culture plays a part in keeping the region humid and rich in biodiversity. The site can be visited in a

Salins du Midi, Aigues-Mortes. Tél. 00 33 (0)4 66 73 40 23 www.visitesalinsdecamargue.com SUDDEFRANCE - 34 -

n the beginning, in the 13th century, Aigues-Mortes was chosen by Louis IX, who would become Saint Louis, as a Mediterranean embarcation port. When Provence belonged to the Holy Roman Empire and Roussillon to the Kingdom of Aragon, it was exchanged for the territory of Sommières. The city of the dead waters, then located on the bank of a great lagoon, was linked to the sea by inlets and the westernmost branch of the Rhône by immense marshlands. Louis IX had a road built, protected by dikes, the only land access to Aigues-Mortes, later defended by the Tour Carbonnière. He embarked there for his seventh crusade in 1248, then made a final embarcation from Aigues-Mortes in 1270, the eight

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DESTINATION - MÉDITERRANÉE AIGUES-MORTES

TOUR DE CONSTANCE.

1.6 kilometres of ramparts

crusade, a little before his death. But Aigues-Mortes would become a trading centre of the first order with the countries of the Levant. The sainted king had the Tour de Constance built there – for a long time the city’s only defense – in order to protect the port and the town. In this royal tower were imprisoned, during the Wars of Religion, many Protestants from Nîmes, among them the leader of the Camisards, Abraham Mazel, who managed to escape in 1705, as well as

many women, including Marie Durand, who refused to abjure her faith and was held there for thirty-eight years. Wandering through the city’s art galleries is a pleasure for the eyes – and its many talented cooks make Aigues-Mortes a pleasure for the palate as well. www.ot-aiguesmortes.fr www.monuments.nationaux.fr

SUDDEFRANCE - 35 -

The ramparts of Aigues-Mortes are slightly older than the city itself, which began taking form in 1246; when Saint Louis died, the foundations of the ramparts were only partly laid out. The city wall was financed by a tax on all merchandise passing through the port. At the time, Aigues-Mortes was one of the main trading stages with the prosperous republic of Genoa. Therefore, the existing roads determined where in the rectangular wall the gates would be set. This explains why they are irregularly spaced. The rampart foundations are set on a wooden platform supported by oak pilings. The limestone was mined in Beaucaire and Baux de Provence and transported by boat. The city wall was finished in the 14th century. The ramparts extend for 1,634 metres.

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DESTINATION - MÉDITERRANÉE PETITE CAMARGUE

PetiteCamargue,

asfarandfairastheeyecansee Between the Vidourle and Petit Rhône rivers, Petite Camargue sets out a mosaic of vivid and colourful landscapes.

A bicycle is ideal for skimming along: these uncrowded highways, sometimes splitting into dirt roads, go through stretches of vineyards announcing a chateau or a cellar producing AOC Costières de Nîmes wines, cultivated in the low plain of the Petit Rhône down to the edge of the marshland. The meadows where horses of the traditional Camargue breed frolic – unless they are resting in the shade of a hackberry tree – assure the presence of manades, the wideroaming herds of horses or cattle typical of the region. But don’t look for the little black bulls in these pastures. In summer, they seek cool and nourishment in the damp meadows, marshes, and reedbeds bordering the étangs. These sheets of water, the Scamandre, Grey, and Charnier, are also a paradise for many bird species: Grey and Purple Herons, Eurasian Bitterns, Western Marsh Harriers, White Storks, etcetera. The Scamandre regional nature reserve welcomes all nine species of heron prevalent in Europe, as well as most of the French population of the Glossy Ibis. Discovery trails,

some on pilings, offer you the opportunity to glimpse some of these guests and guarantee a panoramic view. Pools, marshes, and reedbeds are eagerly frequented over the seasons by hunters, fishers, and sagneurs (thatchers) gathering reeds. The latter profession, practiced almost exclusively in the Gard area of Camargue, is indispensable to the preservation of this emblematic and ecologically balanced environment. The listed site of the Pointe de l’Espiguette raises its dune cliffs, some 12 metres high, along the shore. The oldest bristle with vegetation, stone pines near the lighthouse, or Phoenaecian Juniper.

This long sandy bank, appreciated for the unspoiled beauty of its beaches, attracts many tourists and has an area reserved for naturism. The Conservatoire du Littoral ensures the protection of part of the site. On the road from Le Grau-du-Roi to the beach, several operators provide horseback rides through the marshes and along the shore. The saltwater lagoons dotting the shore sometimes dry up in summer, leaving behind salt marshes where only samphire flourishes. Others, deeper, are home to many fish (bream, mullet, eel). They are safe there from the depradations of cranes, flamingoes, avocets, and other marsh birds, who prefer shallower and more accessible waters. At day’s end, when the sun reddens the water striped with irregular spits of land, the show, to the accompaniment of birds’ cries and songs, is unforgettable. From the fields of Caylar to the path of Courgoulier, from the Canal du Rhône at Sète to the Fort du Peccais, from Lunel to Saint-Gilles by way of Vauvert and Beauvoisin, innumerable paths invite you to explore Petite Camargue. www.camarguecostieres-tourisme.fr

THE BEACH AT POINTE DE L'ESPIGUETTE SUDDEFRANCE - 36 -

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DESTINATION - MÉDITERRANÉE PETITE CAMARGUE

«Beingagardianmeans beingin thepasture» Along the Étang du Scamandre, between fields and marshland, the Martini manade introduces visitors to the traditions of the Camargue.

hen the marquis Folco de Baroncelli arrived in 1895, Camargue and Petite Camargue were already grazing grounds for flocks of sheep, together with some cattle and horses. Traditions and Camarguaise identity were not familiar concepts when this member of the Félibrige1, born in Aix-en-Provence and passionate about the Camargue, put together a manade2, the ‘Manado Santenco’, at Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. The manadier-poet would be at the origin of the invention or the codification of the traditions and symbols constituting and representing the identity of the Camargue: the cross, the gardian’s costume, the games and rituals of the bulls theatricalising the work of man and beast. Some of these would be inspired by the marquis' fascination withthe American Far West!

What does it mean, today, to be camarguais? Bernard Fougairolles replies unhesitatingly: ‘To be a gardian is to raise cattle in as much freedom as possible, in wide open spaces, to preserve the animal's nature unaltered. To be in the pasture every day, herding, watching, knowing the animals’ names and lineage.’ Even if today daily rounds are made in off-road vehicles, the gardian’s best friend is still his horse, indispensable for herding and, of course, the many festivals marking the summer season. Wild about horses since his earliest childhood, Bernard Fougairolles ‘came to the bulls little by little’ as an amateur gardian in a friend’s manade, which has been his own for the past twenty-two years. With 150 cattle and a few horses on 160 hectares in Beauvoisin near Nîmes, he is one of those manadiers who have chosen agrotourism3 to diversify revenues. He welcomes groups for demonstrations of cattle-raising traditions, an explanation and thus a passing on SUDDEFRANCE - 37 -

of Camarguais traditions. On the programme: the ferrade (branding calves); a cart-ride into the herd to select bulls for the course camarguaise (freestyle or abrivado); and finally an aperitif and a dinner with songs. The course camarguaise, the region’s own distinctive version of the bullfight and the running of the bulls, is now a fully recognised sport with its own national federation and competitions. Every year, 840 courses give the best raseteurs (the camarguais equivalent of toreros) and cocardiers (the champion bulls) a chance to shine. 1. Association for the preservation, demonstration, and promotion of the language and culture of the Pays d’Oc, of which Frédéric Mistral was the most illustrious representative. 2. Manade, in Provençal, means ‘handful’. 3. He is one of the manadiers involved in the ‘Qualité Manade’ programme established by the Costières Camargue Méditerranée tourism board.

www.camarguecostieres-tourisme.fr

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DESTINATION - CITIES PERPIGNAN

THE ROYAL PALACE OF MAJORCA.

Perpignan,

a touchof CataluñainFrance The essence of Perpignan is its Catalan spirit. Today it is a privileged point of exchange between Barcelona and France.

• PERPIGNAN

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ts benefits include its rich blend of cultures and peoples, its Mediterranean façade and the beauty of the surrounding Pyrenees. In Spanish hands for a long period of its history, the town’s golden age came under the Kingdom of Majorca, when it served as the Kingdom’s mainland capital, with plenty of monuments to show for it. The era of the Kings of Majorca, from 1276 to 1344, bequeathed Gothic-style architecture, a palace, a cathedral... The Palace of the Kings of Majorca is one of the town’s emblems. King Jacques II of Majorca ordered it built, and it was completed in 1304 after his death. Both a palace and a fortress, the building was a seat of political power as well as a royal residence and chapel. The Gothic-style Palace also contains a lush garden within its walls, with views over the entire Roussillon plain. The Kingdom of Majorca also marked the birth of another

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DESTINATION - CITIES PERPIGNAN THE CASTILLET.

important local heritage monument : the Cathedral of St John the Baptist, in rue de l’Horloge. Work began under the Kings’ rule in 1324. Its base is Gothic, and initial plans included the construction of three naves. In 1344, the fratricidal war against the Kings of Aragon and the Plague, which laid waste to the country, considerably slowed progress. Over the years, the plans were modified, finally resulting in a single large nave, flanked by chapels and a funerary

cloister, the Campo Santo. The first mass was celebrated there in 1509. The city’s other emblem is the Castillet, built in 1368 under the rule of the Kings of Aragon. Their plan was to endow Perpignan with a fortress to defend against all attacks from the North. After the signature of the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, Perpignan passed into French hands. This famous red brick fortress then became a prison for opponents of the

THE ETANG OF CANET SAINT-NAZAIRE.

regime. In 1697, the Castillet was officially declared a State prison. At the beginning of the 20th century, the fortifications surrounding the town were demolished to link the centre to the outskirts, but a rare exception was made for the Castillet. Today it houses the Catalan museum of Popular Arts and Traditions. www.perpignantourisme.com

Canet-en-Roussillon, from beach to lakeside Perpignan’s own seaside resort (only ten kilometres separate them), Canet-en-Roussillon has an ancient town centre with winding little streets and a castle. By the sea, a three-kilometre beach promenade offers all the pleasures of the shore. The Étang de Canet Saint-Nazaire, home of diverse wildlife, is also known for its reed fishermen’s huts, today used for stocking fishing equipment. Guided tours are offered by the Tourist Office. www.ot-canet.fr

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DESTINATION - CITIES NARBONNE

THE CANAL DE LA ROBINE.

Narbonne, eternalcrossroad In Gallo-Roman antiquity, its name was Narbo Martius. It was the first Roman city in Gaul and preserves many vestiges of its past.

• NARBONNE

he reputation of Narbonne (Aude) as a “City of Art and History” is due in no small measure to its strong Roman identity. It was in fact the first Roman city in Gaul, prior even to the conquest of Julius Caesar. Founded in 118 BCE, Narbonne’s geographical location made it a veritable crossroads on the Mediterranean coast. Narbo Martius made extensive use of the Roman-built port, as well as the Via Domiziana, created at the city’s foundation, to link Italy with Spain. This road was originally planned to facilitate traffic between Roman garrisons, but SUDDEFRANCE - 40 -

traders soon made it their own and Narbonne became an obligatory stoppingoff point. Following the conquest of the Gauls, the town experienced a considerable economic boom, with a flourishing wine, wheat and ceramic industry. In front of the town hall, admire the paved stretch of the Via Domiziana as it looked in 100 BCE. The route led into the heart of the city via today’s rue de Lattre, crossing place Bistan, the former Roman Forum, before joining the Pont des Marchands above the Robine canal.

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In Narbonne, it is said that the soil still hides many ancient treasures. Even if most of the Roman monuments have been destroyed, some museums and excavation sites preserve the memory of Narbo Martius. To better showcase this rich heritéage, a project has just been launched for a Regional Museum of Ancient Narbonne, which will be home to over 15,000 pieces including sculptures, mosaics, murals, and stonework. The design of the museum, which will open in 2016, has been entrusted to the celebrated English architect Norman Foster. But the history of Narbonne, which was an Arab province for a few decades in the 8th century, is rich also with its mediaeval past as a centre both spiritual - as symbolised

A SECTION OF THE VIA DOMITIA. by the imposing Cathédrale Saint-Just et Saint-Pasteur – and commercial, as well as its Occitan strain. Narbonne, however, does not rest on its historic laurels. Its art of living invites you to enjoy today. The Baltard-style glass and cast iron market halls are the heart of the old city, and bustle with life against the background of the rich mediaeval past. With its varied natural attractions (Massif de la Clape, Massif de Fontfroide), its location amongst celebrated vineyards where wine tourism is booming, particularly with the Tourist Office’s ‘wine safaris’, Narbonne in summer leads a double life, adding to the attractions of the city Narbonne-Plage’s five kilometres of fine sand, a holidaymaker’s dream. www.narbonne-tourisme.com

Minerve,fatal beauty

To some, it seems to lie low in the limestone plateaux, while to others it appears surrounded by gorges cowed by the confluence of the Brian and Cesse rivers. This unmissable mediaeval site is a stone’s throw from the Corbières and the Upper Languedoc regional park. The city, hard against the Cévennes foothills of the Black Mountain, once thought itself impregnable. « No Château, except for Termes and Cabaret, was stronger than Minerve » said a chronicler at the time of the drama. The Perfect Ones, the name given to the Cathars, who followed rules based on notions of Good and Evil stricter than those of the Church, which considered the movement a heresy to be stamped out, were nevertheless trapped by Simon de Montfort in 1210. Weakened by thirst and illness, Guillaume, the Lord of Minerve, capitulated after a seven-week siege. In this wild landscape, the Perfect Ones refused to renounce their faith and were thus sent to the bonfire, the first mass pyre in the war against the Albigensians. The city’s history and background make it a key element of the story of the Crusades. The town retains its graceful vaults and natural bridges hewn in limestone, as grandiose as the town’s history is sombre. The generous city gave its name to the Minervois, the land of wine growers. It is also to a couple of winegrowers that we owe the existence of the Hurepel museum in the village of Minerva, which tells the story of the tragic episode of the Occitan Cathars through a series of clay figures. A walk through the narrow streets of this village haunted by memories takes you past enclosures, fortified gates, posterns, cobbled streets, towers and the remains of the Château. The sober and pure décor of the church of St Etienne, the house of the Knights Templar, the martyrs’ monument and the dove of light hewn in the rock by local artist Jean-Luc Séverac never fail to enchant passers-by. www.minerve-tourisme.fr

France’s only residential bridge! Built in the Roman era as part of the Via Domitia, seven arches long, the Vetus bridge, as it was then known, has always been central to Narbonne’s development. Reinforced in the Middle Ages, it was gradually colonized by peddlars and their stalls, as was the custom then in Paris and Italy. Today it is the only residential bridge remaining in France.

THE PONT DES MARCHANDS. SUDDEFRANCE - 41 -

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DESTINATION - CITIES BÉZIERS

Béziers,cityofauthenticity Towering over the Orb and the Canal du Midi, the city made rich by vines in the 19th century abounds in hidden treasures. • BÉZIERS THE ANCIENT CATHÉDRALE SAINT-NAZAIRE, FROM THE PONT-VIEUX.

“Follies” in the vineyards These “Biterrois follies” bear ample witness to the economic boom Béziers experienced thank to its wine culture. While the “Saint-Aramon” vines slaked the thirst of the miners and metal workers of the late 19th century industrial period, outside the town, in an ocean of vines, grew the “Palais de l’Aramonie”. Such wine châteaux mushroomed in the Biterrois countryside, vying with each other in terms of architectural boldness (and occasionally bordering on bad taste). It is said that the profits from a single harvest back then sufficed to fund one of these châteaux, designed by the era’s greatest architects such as Bordeaux’s Garros. Baïssan, La Gayonne (pictured), La Devèze and Lirou count among these “follies”. The Château of Raissac is the only one in the region to market its wines. Restored over 20 years ago in the non-conformist style of its owners, Christine and Jean Viennet, Raissac is also home to an earthenware museum.

SUDDEFRANCE SUDdeFrance - -42 42- -

eemingly inaccessible when viewed from the canal bridge straddling the Orb, Béziers (Hérault) looks down from the lofty heights of its majestic cathedral (St Nazaire), on a history stretching back 27 centuries. To get to the top, the walker can choose from a maze of slopes and staircases climbing the 60 or so metres separating the river from the two hills, the Saint-Jacques and Saint-Nazaire districts on which the town is built. The city, enriched in the second half of the 19th century by the wine boom, jealously guards its architectural treasures; here a Gothic pinnacle, there a

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DESTINATION - CITIES BÉZIERS Renaissance window and the ubiquitous heavy gates behind which hide sumptuous private mansions, signs of the feverish “folly” which swept through the Biterrois region in the 19th century, a time when the region was all the rage for the Parisian“smart-set”. Saved from mildew and above all phylloxera, and with the help of the Canal du Midi and the arrival of the railways, Béziers became the richest city in Languedoc. The self-proclaimed “world capital of wine” carved out an appropriately immoderate destiny for itself - a past to which the grand Haussmann-style boulevards bear ample witness. The Allées Paul-Riquet, the backbone of the town adorned in 1838 with a statue of Paul Riquet (the work of David d’Angers) and lined with plane trees in 1848 are one example. At each end stands a symbol of success: to the north the splendid Bonbonnière theatre built in 1844 in the Italian style. To the south, the plateau des Poètes is a pleasant English garden, designed by Bűhler. Here, the shady avenues, water features and plashing fountains celebrate one of the region’s most famous sons, the sculptor Injalbert who created a colony of tritons and nymphs around his monumental Titan. Each year, 700,000 visitors walk down the avenues leading towards the Gallo-Roman amphitheatre tucked into the Saint-Jacques district. Or their more modern equivalent, built in 1905 in the Spanish style by Fernand Castelbon de Beauxhostes, a passionate sponsor of the theatre and the lyric arts. The biggest amphitheatre in France (13,100 seats) plays host to bullfights at the famous Feria on August 15th. This old wine city, full

ALLÉES RIQUET.

of art, theatre and culture, is the perfect showcase for its own rich heritage. Near the sea, situated at a strategic crossroads at the junction of the A9 and A75 (facilitating access to the uplands) and served by the TGV, Béziers is keen to develop its economic and academic sectors. Besides the builder Pierre-Paul Riquet, resistance fighter Jean Moulin or artist Gustave Fayet, many great men have helped the

town to grow. But it is history itself which is primarily responsible for the epithet “Rebellious”. During the first Albigensian Crusade (1209). Arnaud Amaury cried « Massacre them, the Lord will know His Own » which has since become better known in the slightly altered form of « Kill them all, God will know His own ». www.beziers-tourisme.fr

From Orb to Jaur, the unique charm of Haut-Languedoc Do take the time to venture a few dozen kilometres from Béziers to the northern part of Hérault, through Roquebrun or Faugères, to the regional nature park of Haut Languedoc. You will discover a completely different world. You leave the balmy shores, climbing to the foot of the Caroux Massif, the first outpost of the Massif Central, and come upon the superb villages of the Vallée de l’Orb. Here, olive trees give way to orchards. Villages nestle among chestnut trees and the mountains welcome climbers and hikers, while mountain bikers have at their disposal nearly eighty kilometres of greenway between Bédarieux and Mazamet, Hérépian, Poujol-sur-Orb, Colombières-sur-Orb, and the wild gorges. Further on, after Mons-la-Trivale and the gorges of Héric, the slopes of Espinouse surround the Vallée du Jaur and its cherry trees, whose blossoms turn the whole valley pink in late spring. Ancient cities appear one after the other: Olargues (site, every August 15, of a wellknown organic fair), with its mediaeval village and its Devil’s Bridge; Prémian, then Saint-Pons-de-Thomières, crossroads between the Mediterranean, Montagne Noire, and the slopes of Somail and Espinouse. www.parc-haut-languedoc.fr

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DESTINATION - CITIES MONTPELLIER

PLACE DE LA COMÉDIE.

A relatively youthful city compared to its 2,000 plus yearold neighbours, Montpellier (Hérault) has grown and continues to grow with unusual dynamism.

ESPLANADE DE L’EUROPE, WITH A REPRODUCTION OF THE VICTORY OF SAMOTHRACE, IN THE ANTIGONE DISTRICT.

PLACE DE LA CANOURGUE.

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riginally a small collection of rural hamlets a few dozen kilometres from the Gallo-Roman centres of Nîmes and Narbonne, the town of Montpellier came into existence in 985 CE. Located near the Via Domiziana and the route to Santiago de Compostela, with a port at Lattes, the town grew as a trading post, drawing in pilgrims and travellers and giving the city a cosmopolitan feel from the outset. This in turn led to the development of an intellectual base which resulted in the creation of the kingdom’s first renowned medical faculty, whose alumni include Nostradamus and Rabelais. The botanical gardens adjoining the University, created in 1953 by Henry IV for the cultivation of medicinal plants, are also the oldest in France. Montpellier’s prosperity grew exponentially over more than two centuries, initially through the town’s founders, the Guilhem family, and then as a possession of the Kingdom of Aragon following the marriage of Marie de Montpellier to Pierre II of Aragon, which led to the establishment of the Charter of 1204, granting the government of the city to 12 elected bourgeois. But during the Hundred Years

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DESTINATION - CITIES MONTPELLIER

Montpellier, ashiningexample ofLanguedocat itsbest • MONTPELLIER

PEYROU GARDENS War, the city suffered serious setbacks and fell into decline. It would gain a new lease of life under the influence of Jacques Coeur, appointed King’s Commissioner to the States General

of Languedoc in 1441 and charged with reviving the local economy. The wars of religion were another calamitous period, during which many of the city’s Catholic and Protestant churches in turn were burnt to

Acitywhere thepedestrianisking! The constant demographic expansion of greater Montpellier - 8,000 people move there every year - has inspired urban development making it one of France's greatest pedestrian spaces. It began in the mid-eighties with the pedestrianisation of the Place de la Comédie. Pedestrians continue to take back the city with the inclusion in the walkers-only district of the sixteen hectares of the Ledru-Rollin - Jeu-de-Paume area. Now all the major monuments of the city centre may be visited car-free, by foot, bike, or streetcar. Montpellier integrated its public transportation policy with its development, making Montpellier a champion of environmentally responsible urban tourism.

STREETCAR LINE 3, STYLED BY CHRISTIAN LACROIX.

the ground. The Enlightenment proved a happier period for Montpellier, thanks especially to Jean-Jacques Régis de Cambacères, a native of the city who after studying law there became a member of the Revolution Convention and was the kingpin of the Civil Code requested by Napoleon. The city was somewhat bypassed by the industrial revolution and the region remained agriculture-based, despite the fortune it made from wine-growing in the 19th century. As a small provincial town in the postwar period, Montpellier went through a period of extraordinary growth thanks to two factors. First came the repatriation of the pieds-noirs, (French colonials born in Algeria) - the town capitalised on this demographic opportunity and saw its population double in forty years. Then came the European Head Office of IT giants IBM, which proved an economic accelerator.

A university town blessed with sun and sea galore, Montpellier knows how to make the most of its attractiveness while maintaining a people-friendly scale, and therefore regularly tops the lifestyle charts. The historic SUITE

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DESTINATION - CITIES MONTPELLIER

THE BANKS OF THE LEZ.

THE OLD TOWN CENTRE WITH THE ÉGLISE SAINTE-ANNE AND THE CATHEDRAL.

Ecusson quarter has remained the heart of the town thanks to a large-scale pedestrianisation programme which encourages visitors to stroll and relax. The Fabre Museum, one of France’s top Fine Arts museums, is a sumptuous setting for major works, such as those by Courbet or Delacroix, not to mention the superb hall dedicated to Soulages, which since its reopening has attracted visitors by the thousand. Narrow streets lined with discreet 17th and 18th century mansions crisscross the centre on their way towards superb buildings such as the Cathedral of St Peter, the Peyrou Gardens with their views over the surrounding countryside, the charming St Anne square or the bustling place de la Comédie with its prosperous 19th century “pâtissier” (cake maker) buildings. Just a little farther on, the charming Arceaux is where bowlsplayers gather in the shade of the Aqueduct, while the Boutonnet and Beaux Arts districts cultivate a rather trendy village feel. From there, take a gentle stroll to the Saint-Lazare cemetery whose tombs include that of the Queen of Italy, who was exiled here in 1946 after the declaration of the Republic and chose to end her days in Montpellier. It all adds to the relaxed charm of this simultaneously modern and down to earth city. Moreover, the area is home to some well-known wine growing estates with the AOC appellation Grès de Montpellier !

In Montpellier, classicism combines with modern urbanism in the famous Antigone district, created by Ricardo Bofill in the early 1980s as an homage to Antiquity, using prefabricated concrete to construct classicallyinspired forms. From that moment on, the city became a unique opportunity for prestigious architects. Other districts sprang forth: Malbosc, Jardins de la Lironde, Ovalie, and others. Among the latest major projects are Pierrevives, the new government archive building, designed by Zaha Hadid, and the renowned Odysseum centre, the only complex in the Mediterranean area to offer a combination of commerce – an open-air shopping mall – and recreation, with a skating rink, a celebrated aquarium, a multiplex, the government archives building, and more.

The city meets the sea! Today, the city's development continues along the Lez, advancing towards the sea. Its symbol is the new town hall, designed by Jean Nouvel and François Fontès. On the ecological and technological cutting edge, the building is deep blue – the City’s official colour – that changes according to sunlight it receives. Across from this building, the symbol of a developing city, is a brand new district, PortMarianne, also featuring buildings by famed architects, arranged around the JacquesCoeur basin and the new streetcar lines – Montpellier now has four, brightly styled by the smartest designers (Garouste et Bonetti, Christian Lacroix) – that proceed along the Avenue de la Mer to the Mediterranean itself! www.ot-montpellier.fr

Acityand thewideopensea Up until the very end of the 1960s, inhabitants of Montpellier were used to having to travel a dozen kilometres or so before reaching the wide open sea. They achieved this by taking the little steam train from Palavas, since immortalised by the famous illustrator, Dubout. And then Montpellier lost this route to the seaside. Yet, all was not lost forever! Very recently, the public transport system has allowed its passengers to once again venture to the shore. The new No. 3 tram now stops at the Or Lake in Pérols, situated a mere 2.5 km from Carnon and Palavas. In summer, a shuttle bus service runs along the same route. And a more relaxed means would perhaps be to hire a bike with Tam, the new rental scheme in Montpelier. Follow the banks of the Lez and you can be at the beach in less than an hour - the perfect plan for a spot of paddling or swimming, followed by dinner and drinks at one of the many private beaches along the lido of the Petit and the Grand Travers.

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FROM MONTPELLIER AU PIC SAINT-LOUP Follow the Viaduc de Castries

PIC SAINT-LOUP

LES MATELLES

5 3

SAINT-MATHIEUDE-TRÉVIERS

Restinclières CASTRIES

After an optional visit of the formal gardens of the château de Castries, the 'little Versailles of Languedoc’, head towards Guzargues to the base of this astonishing 1670 viaduct. Built by the creator of the Canal du Midi, Pierre-Paul Riquet, this 6,800-metre viaduct was used solely to water the château park! It is the largest private work of hydraulic engineering in France. A lovely stroll – or take a carriage-ride, available once a week! Château de Castries, avenue de la Gare. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 99 74 01 77. Office de Tourisme de Castries: 00 33 (0)4 99 74 01 77

Respect the environment at Restinclières

Although on private property, this six-hectare lake in its unspoiled setting at the foot of Pic SaintLoup is open to swimmers (although lifeguards are on duty only in the summer). The water displays astonishing turquoise hues, depending on the time of day. On the shore, the Guinguette des Amoureux is an ideal spot for lunch in the country, all the more so since it prides itself on locally-sourced cuisine.

The Maison de l’Environnement and research centre of this 215-hectare domain amongst the garrigues of Prades-le-Lez invite you to discover its plant and animal inhabitants. Exhibitions on the environment are offered regularly.

La Guinguette des Amoureux, route de Cécéles, Saint-Mathieu-de-Tréviers. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 67 55 31 16.

Domaine de Restinclières, Prades. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 99 62 09 40

The challenge of Pic Saint-Loup The ascension of Pic Saint-Loup traditionally starts from Cazevieille. The 658-metre peak and its companion, Hortus (512 metres) tower over the garrigues and offer a superb view on the Cévennes as far as the sea. The climb is easy but long (approximately an hour). The view definitely warrants your time, as you take a deep breath among green oaks, Aleppo pines, and strawberry trees. At the top, the ruins of the Château de Montferrand have loomed since 1108! For the less courageous, Eepik rents electric mountain bikes for wine tourism in the Saint-Loup neighbourhood!

Enjoy the Flaugergues ‘Folly’ After visiting Montpellier’s astonishing and littleknown Botanical Garden, created in 1596 and the oldest in France, head to the Millénaire district to visit the Colbert family properties, a château and a winery, on the outskirts of the city. This ‘Folly’, as such things were named, dates back to the 17th century and presents a fine architectural unity. Don’t miss the ‘English-style’ garden with its shrubberies, and the avenue of olive trees overlooking the sea. You may also taste the wines of the domain and lunch in the excellent restaurant Le Folia established three years ago in the kitchen quarters. Jardin des Plantes, boulevard Henri-IV, Montpellier. Château de Flaugergues, 1744 avenue Albert-Einstein. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 99 52 66 37 www.flaugergues.com

Swim the Lac de Cécéles

www.tourisme-picsaintloup.fr www.eepik.com

Wander Les Matelles In the heart of the garrigue, between the Mediterranean and the Cévennes, the village's old town shelters behind 15th century ramparts. In its twisting streets, the houses are picturesque, with fine outside staircases and architectural details. The charming restaurant Le Pic Saint-Loup has a delightful terrace in the shade of the hackberry trees. Le Pic Saint-Loup aux Matelles. Tel. 00 33(0)4 67 84 35 18.

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DESTINATION - CITIES MENDE

• MENDE

Mende, theepicentreofLozère

n the upper valley of the Lot in the Grands Causses region, Mende (Lozère) has been touched by the hand of history. It remains an astonishing experience to arrive at the foot of the Basilica Cathedral of Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Privat (built in the 14th century at the behest of Guillaume de Grimoard, who in 1362 became the 6th Pope of Avignon under the name of Urbain V), not least for the contrast between this imposing building dominating the centre of the old town and the local houses huddled all around, with their shale stone roofs. Such was the former excess and grandeur of a town which was an episcopal see until the Revolution. In the 16th century, Mende was one of the richest dioceses in the

Languedoc. But the ecclesiastical principality fell on dark times, hence its motto; “The darkness hath not vanquished me”. Assailed and taken in 1579 by the troops of the Huguenot captain Merle, the town was for the most part burned and razed to the ground. However, those who visit the little town today are in for a surprise. The population is growing, universities and training centres have decided to set up there, along with non-polluting industries. Benefitting from the boom, Mende has embellished its boulevards, narrow streets lined with ancient buildings and its image as a “country town”. Enjoy the old centre, at the foot of the mountains with their numerous gushing springs, winding their way down through SUDDEFRANCE - 48 -

gardens and the prairies of the sparse walled towns. Channelled and feeding into the town’s underground water system, these springs resurface around the old wash house and in the many fountains which dot its streets. Mende is an excellent starting point for visiting the Grands Causses region, or Mt Mimat which overlooks it, with its imposing thick pine forests. This sports-mad town is also the scene of many events, such as the Trèfle Lozérien (an international all-terrain motor rally), car rallies, the Grande Fête du Sport (late June every second year) and the Marvejols half-marathon… www.ot-mende.fr

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24 HOURS IN MENDE es-Clem enceau

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é ud Av. Pau lin- Da

Av. de Mirandol

Av. Geo rg

Av. alde-TM assigdne-Lattrey

one called ‘the old synagogue’, the last trace of what was until 1306 the Jewish quarter.

The rue de la Jarretière (Garter Street), so called due to udon o C e u Pèr its narrowness, Av. d preserves the beautiful entrance of the Couvent des Ursulines. Don’t miss the Pont Notre-Dame (13th century), the oldest bridge over the Lot, which has defied the river and its floods for centuries. The opposite bank offers a sublime view of the city. Be sure to take advantage of the guided tour offered by the Office of Tourism, led by a native who will be able to improvise country visits to the gardens of Pré-Vival, lands belonging to the bishopric, with beautiful half-timbered structures, or to take you to discover the secret Mende hidden behind the gates of romantic courtyards, little gardens, superb old staircases. You'll cry encore! Office de Tourisme de Mende. www.ot-mende.fr Tel. 00 33 (0)4 66 94 00 23.

martyred in the 3rd century. Pilgrimages to his tomb led to the founding of the city. At the top, a picnic area is available, but the Causse de Mende’s forest park also invites you. Marked paths lead you on a nature walk or explain the history of the site.

– From the highest bell tower of the cathedral

Symbol of the bishops’ might, the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Mende was built, starting in 1369, on the order of Pope Urban V, born in Gévaudan. Partially destroyed in the Wars of Religion, it was rebuilt between 1598 and 1620. Its imposing dimensions and two asymmetrical bell towers dominate the city surrounding it. The afternoon is ideal for the guided tour at 4:00, which takes you up the 430 steps to the highest bell tower. The view is splendid and you can admire the many gargoyles up close!

– Dinner at La Safranière Once you arrive, park your car and forget it for theday. Thread the narrow streets of the old town as you hunt the many gems of historical heritage they conceal. Mende has thirty-two fountains, twenty-six of them in the old town, the oldest dating back to the 14th century. Their presence explains why the city was built on this northern slope, watered by the Vabre spring, which still flows into the vaulted washhouse of La Calquière, just as it did when tanners washed their hides there with lime, as they did until the 17th century. Be sure to raise your eyes to discover the shrines high on the walls of buildings, sometimes holding Black Virgins like those of Auvergne. Near the Halle aux Blés, which evokes the many markets and fairs of yesteryear, the Chapelle des Pénitents is one of the last vestiges of the 13th century ramparts.

Crossing the bridge There are many half-timbered houses; in one of the most picturesque streets, rue Notre-Dame, is

Picnic on the Causse de Mende Before lunch, provision yourself at the market (Saturdays Place Urbain-V in front of the cathedral; Wednesdays Place Chaptal) or the many shops featuring local produce. There’s no lack of specialties: Lozère charcuterie, many types of goat, sheep, or cows’ milk cheeses. For a sweet, the croquants de Mende are unbeatable, the blueberry tartlets irresistible. Once your basket is filled, just climb the path leading to the Hermitage and the Croix du Mont-Mimat, where Saint Privat was SUDDEFRANCE - 49 -

Five kilometres from Mende, La Safranière, on the site of a former saffron farm, is a gourmet stopover saluted by Michelin, worth a detour from the city. The chef, Sébastien Navecth, polished by experience at Dodin-Bouffant and Le Divellec in Paris and Enoteca Pinchiori in Florence, produces a sophisticated cuisine from the products of this terroir, inflected by his creativity and souvenirs of his travels. The city’s finest restaurant, according to Gault & Millau. And at affordable prices. La Safranière. Hameau de Chabrits. Prix fixe: lunch € 19; dinner € 23 - € 47. Open every day except Wednesday lunch and Sunday dinner. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 66 49 31 54.

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DESTINATION - CITIES NÎMES

Nîmes,abeautyinstone witha touchofSpain With its glorious ancient history and important role in the history of Protestantism, Nîmes is proud of its heritage and cultivates its difference, against the backdrop of a unique lifestyle.

aced with a choice between Protestant rigour and Camargue exuberance, Nîmes (Gard) opted for both. This multi-coloured city with a history stretching back over 2,500 years is both extravert and secret. Nîmes became a colony under the Roman Empire and was covered in sumptuous monuments, a sign of the city’s importance. The Magne tower, part of the Roman walls, the Maison Carrée, a temple which dominated the ancient city’s forum, the Temple of Diana and the Old Roman Baths, Augustus Gate and of course the Arènes (amphitheatre) are all permanent witnesses to this golden age. Not to mention the castellum, the arrival point for the Pont du Gard - the aqueduct built to supply the city with water, which remains an unrivalled monument to this day. No other French city can boast such a heritage.

These elegant and grandiose ruins are the pride and joy of a town which continues to live with its history. Take the amphitheatre for example - built in the first century AD, and measuring 133 metres long and 21 metres high. It hosted ancient games and 2,000 years later still constitutes the beating heart of the city when concerts and operas are staged there, but also during the famous Whitsun and September Ferias. While over 10,000 spectators throng to the stone terraces to watch the bullfighting, the city’s streets heave with tens of thousands come to revel in the event, in a unique atmosphere which is half Spain, half Camargue. Mischievous Roman Nîmes also has a Mediterranean side to its character, with loud conversations shouted from one café terrace to another, a renowned covered market with over a hundred stallholders and talented craft workers, SUDDEFRANCE - 50 -

• NÎMES

Crocodiles in Nîmes So how exactly did this scaly creature find itself on the town’s coat of arms? The story starts with a coin, minted in Nîmes in the Gallo-Roman era: To celebrate Anthony’s victory against Cleopatra, Emperor Augustus commissioned a coin. It was embossed with Anthony his son-in-law, Agrippa, on the “heads” side of the coin and a crocodile with a palm leaf on the ‘tails’ side, symbolising Egypt’s submission. Henceforth, the crocodile became the symbol of the city and from 1536 the official emblem of Nîmes. As an interesting aside, above the main staircase in the town hall, 4 stuffed crocodiles have long been mounted on the ceiling. Even the city’s football team is known locally as “The Crocodiles”.

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DESTINATION - CITIES NÎMES THE TOUR MAGNE.

THE JARDINS DE LA FONTAINE.

streets lined with nettle trees and plane trees perfect for a stroll and tucked-away squares like the Ilot Littré. The town also has a discreet side, as in the elegant 18th century buildings housing the HSP - the High protestant Society, in the La Fontaine district where the nobility of the interior courtyards near the gardens of the same name surpasses expectations. Nîmes may be protective of its past but also knows how to live in the present.

Despite its rich heritage, it is also a fertile ground for the great names in architecture, which have given rise to epoch-making buildings such as Jean Nouvel’s Nemausus, and above all the Carré d’Art, whose daring design by Norman Foster echoes the Maison Carre. A perfect symbol of the city and the never-ending dialogue between past and present. www.ot-nimes.fr

Festival passion

Twice a year, Nîmes the Roman becomes the most Spanish of French cities. In late spring and just before autumn it welcomes the two ferias that have made Nîmes de most important ‘plaza de toros’ in France. The running of the bulls was first organised here in 1811 in honour of Napoléon II. And in 1863 the first bullfights took place in the two thousand year old arena. The feria was created in 1950. Since then, it’s been pasión all the way. The Harvest Feria in September attracts mainly aficionados come for the bulls, the Pentecost Feria is also a popular festival attracting crowds for bandas, concerts, flamenco dancing, and bodegas. SUDDEFRANCE - 51 -

A “square” in the town centre Its name may well be “Maison Carrée” (Square House), but it is far from square ! In fact, it measures 26 m long and only 15 m wide. So why the name? Because in Latin, the name really denotes a rectangular shape. Built in the very earliest years of the Christian era, the monument was dedicated to the “Princes of Youth” and in particular to the adoptive sons of the Emperor Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, who made Nîmes a sort of showcase Roman colony, creating sumptuous public buildings, including this astonishing sanctuary. Inspired by the Temple of Apollo in Rome, the Maison Carree is one of the Roman world’s best preserved temples. And the diverse uses to which it has been put by its various owners have ensured its survival down the centuries. Used uninterruptedly since the 11th century, the Maison Carree has served variously as a Consular House, a stable and a departmental archive. In the 16th century, the Duchess of Uzès is even said to have wanted it to serve as a mausoleum for her and her husband! A museum since 1823, the temple, which is thought to have inspired the designers of the Madeleine in Paris, has undergone a painstaking facelift, finished in early 2011. The result has been not only a surprising rediscovery of the building’s purity but also a reinterpretation of its role. Today the Maison Carrée hosts a 3D film called “The Princes of Youth”, which plunges the visitor into the city’s rich history, from the days of the gladiators to those of the matadors.

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DESTINATION - TERROIR CANIGOU - CÉRET

• CÉRET

LeCanigó, amajorCatalansite Canigó Peak is the jewel of the Catalan region. Soaring to 2,784 metres, it is the site of several local curiosities. Listed as a grand site since July 2012.

he Canigou (Pyrénées-Orientales) is shrouded in legend and attracts hordes of visitors each year. Its winding paths offer a wide range of walks, just as accessible to Sunday walkers as to the hardiest ramblers. A wide cross-section of Roussillon’s historical

curiosities were built here, just 5 km from the sea, such as the abbey of Saint-Martindu-Canigou, founded in the 10th century by a Count from Cerdagne and perched at an altitude of 1096 m. Or the Priory of Serrabone, whose gallery with its pink marble detail represents a veritable masterpiece

Céret,home of Catalan tradition Céret has more than one claim to fame: known for its cherries, the capital of Vallespir is also a centre for bullfighting. Above all, however, it is a city that has shaped modern art.Many Cubists have frequented the hilly streets of the city: Chagall, Soutine, Braque, Max Jacob, and, supremely, Pablo Picasso. For twenty years, Céret has had a remarkable museum of modern art, rich with works by Matisse and a Picasso series in ceramic.Another source of pride for this area, which is also a centre of Catalan culture and folklore, where the sardane is celebrated every year! www.ot-ceret.fr

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of Roussillon Romanesque art. But above all it provides a fascinating belvedere. It is said that its summit can be seen from Barcelona, and even from Marseille on a clear day. One of its finest traditions takes place the weekend before St John’s Day, a few days before the 24th June. Known as the Trobade, it brings together all those who love the Canigou. They come to climb up to the summit, laden with firewood and bundles of sticks, and bearing messages of hope and peace. On the 23rd June, the eve of St John, one of them carries the original flame, traditionally kept in the Castillet in Perpignan. That night, at midnight, the famous Flame of Canigou is finally relit. Pilgrims spend the night al fresco enjoying the warm atmosphere. The blaze on the peak can be seen from several villages round about. On the day itself, walkers take the flame and head back down the tracks in a stunning torchlight procession. It is then taken to the villages to feed the fires of St John.

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DESTINATION - TERROIR CERDAGNE/CAPCIR

This is a treasure house of the Catalan terroir. Chez Bernard Bonzom, it's all homemade!

ACerdagneham must beearned!

n the Saillagouse heights, ninety kilometres from Perpignan, in an old Cerdagne village perched at an altitude of 1,300 metres, Bernard Bonzom, artisan-charcutier, has time on his side. This old potters’ hamlet, built by the Roman Via Confluentana, is at the meeting point of the valleys of Eyne, Err, and Llo, famous for their flora and fauna. In this community of a thousand inhabitants, the artist ages his hams and sausages -- and has refined his craft over more than thirty years! This quest leads him today to raise his own pigs. As in days ofold. For to taste a real Cerdagne ham, you must be worthy. Before glimpsing the sublime meats hanging above your head in the Saillagouse shop – a magnificent 1808 farm restored and transformed – you must eat a bit of mountain dust! Welcome to Bernard Bonzom’s swinery in Serdinya, below Saillagouse, where ten hectares of meadow shaded by oak trees shelter 380 fortunate pigs. Large White, Landrace, Piétrain, Cochon Ibérique – four breeds share this bit of mountainside. “I made everything here myself – the pens, the shelters, the fencing, the automatic watering -- I sweated for hours for my pigs”, Bernard Bonzom says.

“The essence of my work is to offer only what I make myself”, he continues “In 2008, I said I needed to raise my own animals. As our ancestors did. I know what they eat, I don't force their fattening, they are never ill. There’s nothing better for them than being raised in the open air”, he avers. The pigs arrive here at the age of two months. They spend another seven months in the pens until they reach their butchering weight, between 130 and 140 kilos. Then the old-time methods are followed. First, the meat absorbs salt into the very centre of the bone, to ensure it is well preserved. It spends fifteen days en-

tirely submerged in coarse dry salt. “You pierce to the bone. When you smell ham, not meat, you can hang it in the drying house for the last step of the process.” This is when the ham “sweats” and stores up its savoury perfume. Fat enters the muscle fibres, a natural transformation that develops flavor. The hams will spend a long year in the silence of the drying house. Then they will be displayed in this incredible shop, stunning us with their wafting fragrance!

www.bernard-bonzom.com

The Canary of Cerdagne The Yellow Train is another Catalan institution, chuffing along the highest railway in France, without a rack. It was created in 1910 to link the mountainous regions of the Eastern Pyrenees, on the high plateaux of Cerdagne and Capcir. It also serves Bolquère, the highest SNCF station in France, perched at an altitude of 1592 metres. The picturesque journey begins in Villefranche-de-Conflent where it reconnects with the main SNCF network. It then serves several Catalan villages along a 62 km route, such as Mont-Louis, Odeillo-Via-Font-Romeu, Saillagouse or Osseja, finishing its journey in Latour-de-Carol. In summer, visitors flock to take this emblematic train with its average speed of 30 kph, and take in the magnificent surrounding countryside as it unfurls. www.ter-sncf.com SUDDEFRANCE - 53 -

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DESTINATION - TERROIR PAYS CATHARE

Takingon thecitadels ofvertigo

THE CHÂTEAU DE QUÉRIBUS

The castles of the Pays Cathare still seem to defend themselves against a history that has marked the land of Aude.

atharism, a dissident Christian movement spread by preachers starting in 1140, rapidly acquired a following in Languedoc, was recognized by its ruling nobles, and established dioceses in Toulouse, Carcassonne, Albi, and Agen. To counter the influence of this religion, which refuted the dogmas and the authority of the Catholic Church, in 1209 Pope Innocent III underSUDDEFRANCE - 54 -

took the Albigensian Crusade. Led by Simon de Montfort, this Crusade was merciless, massacreing the population of Béziers. Carcassonne, Minerve, and Lastours. The county of Toulouse was conquered. The Treaty of Meaux (1229) put an end to the holy war, while the Inquisition continued to harry heretics, who took refuge in the fortified villages of Minervois and Corbières. The Cathar adventure, which had become a war of independence of the South against the

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Kingdom of France, ended by the fall of these villages and the joining of Languedoc to the crown of France. This is the epic retold by the castles of the Pays Cathare. Peyrepertuse (the most imposing), Aguilar, Termes, Puilaurens, Quéribus (the last stronghold of the Albigensians, who surrendered in 1255), and Puivert are among the most important. Soaring yet massive, the remains of these fortresses, perched at more than 700 metres of altitude, seem to be poised on their rocky spurs or to surge from the very rock itself, while their crenellated walls give an impression of unyielding strength. Today, from Durban to Lagrasse, the castle road of the Pays Cathare offers a visit to the heart of the history of the Cathars and many impressive monuments. Office Intercommunal de Tourisme des Corbières Sauvages, Cucugnan. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 68 45 69 40.

The castles of the Pays Cathare in Languedoc-Roussillon 1 - Aguilar • 2 - Arques 3 - Carcassonne • 4 - Lastours 5 - Minerve • 6 - Puilaurens 7 - Puivert • 8 - Peyrepertuse 9 - Quéribus • 10 - Saissac 11 - Termes • 12 - Villerouge-Termenes

Peyrepertuse, the ship of stone

Note: This map shows the ruins of the castles of the Pays Cathare Other Cathar sites (Abbaye de Saint-Papoul, de Villelongue, etc.) may also be visited in the region.

THE RUINS OF THE CASTLE

OF PEYREPERTUSE. Mas-Cabardès

Saissac

Sallessur-l'Hers

idi

Castelnaudary

PeyriacMinervois

Conquessur-Orbiel

Montréal Fanjeaux

zè

Alaigne

Ginestas de

CARCASSONNE Capendu

AUDE

Saint-Hilaire

LIMOUX

Chalabre

Aude

Couiza

Belcaire

Pays de Sault

Axat

Etang de Bages et de Sigean

Mouthoumet

rbi

ères

Etang de l'Ayrolle

Sigean DurbanCorbières

NARBONNE

eu Orbi

Lagrasse

11 12

Quillan

Coursan LézignanCorbières

Etang de Lapalme

Tuchan

e Aud

Alzonne Belpech

Cabardès

Cana l du M

It soars over 800 metres, swirled about by the morning mist that sometimes envelops the garrigues and vines of this part of Corbières. Against this background, the silhouette of the castle of Peyrepertuse emerges like a ship of stone, about to cast off and sail forth. This greatest of the Cathar fortresses of LanguedocRoussillon was said to be unconquerable. And it was never conquered: even in the darkest hours of the Albigensian Crusade, Peyrepertuse never endured the assault of the royal troops. Guilhem, the lord of Peyrepertuse, gave in without a fight and the castle became a royal fortress in 1240. The Treaty of Corbeil, in 1258, made Peyrepertuse one of the ‘five sons of Carcassonne’, together with Aguilar, Quéribus, Termes, and Puylaurens – that is to say, one of the five fortresses protecting the frontier with Aragon, then Spain, until 1659, when Roussillon was attributed to France by the Treaty of the Pyrenees. Peyrepertuse sheltered a garrison until the French Revolution of 1789 and then was sold as a national asset. The first restoration work was done in 1950. Château de Peyrepertuse, Duilhac. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 82 53 24 07. www.chateau-peyrepertuse.com

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DESTINATION - TERROIR LIMOUX / CASTELNAUDARY

CASTELNAUDARY LIMOUX

Castelnaudary,

agourmet’sdelight THE GRAND BASSIN.

anguedoc’s granary since the Middle Ages, the Lauragais plain is a chromatic palette: fields of wheat, corn, sunflowers, and beans surrounding Castelnaudary lend golden tones to this rich, peaceful region at the foot of the Montagne Noire. Historic ground, the scene of many clashes during the Cathar epic, the Hundred Years' War, and then the Fronde, Castelnaudary today has a certain gentle charm, with the nooks of the old town and, of course, the playing waters of the Canal du

Midi and the seven-hectare basin that makes such an agreeable port of call.Above all, Castelnaudary has an international reputation thanks to its role as the world capital of cassoulet, that sublime combination of stewed Lauragais beans, pork sausage, and duck. A brotherhood or Grande Confrérie was established forty years ago to carry the banner of this rustic and succulent dish, which is honoured every year in late August by a memorable Fête du Cassoulet. Since 2007, there has even been a ‘Route

The world's first sparkling wine With our apologies to Champagne, it was in Limoux that wine first learned how to sparkle. A monk in the Abbaye de Saint-Hilaire discovered the principle of a second fermentation of white wine once it was bottled and corked. Blanquette de Limoux, thus, was the world's first brut, created in 1531. Today, the viticultural reputation of Limoux and its terroir is such that every year the ‘Toques et Clochers' (Chefs' Hats and Bell Towers) event attracts thousands of visitors for an auction of the appellation’s wines, featuring great chefs. Office de Tourisme de Limoux. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 68 31 11 82 - www.limoux.fr SUDDEFRANCE - 56 -

•

In the middle of the Lauragais plain in Aude, this city is both a Canal du Midi port and the world capital of cassoulet!

du Cassoulet de Castelnaudary’ on offer, a 270-kilometre circuit on the themes of heritage and gastronomy. Route du Cassoulet. Tél. 00 33(0)4 68 23 05 73 www.castelnaudary-tourisme.com

Limoux, birthplace of the Carnival Limoux – rich in over 2,000 years of history, endowed with a splendid heritage including a mediaeval bridge -- is doubly famous. First, it has its sparkling méthode champenoise wine, blanquette de Limoux. Then, it has its Carnival, which has taken place here for more than a thousand years, and is the longest in the world. Every winter, from February to April, Limoux celebrates the ‘Fécos’, those masked characters disguised as Pierrots who invade the city centre to dance in the cafés under the arcades. There are three processions each day, the most astonishing being nocturnal and torchlit, a poetic parade to the piercing rhythm of the band. The Limoux Carnival is one of the most famous in the world, comparable to those of Rio or Venice.

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DESTINATION - TERROIR LODÉVOIS / SALAGOU/CLERMONT-L’HÉRAULT

Lodévois,land of transitions

VILLENEUVETTE

• • CLERMONT-L’HÉRAULT

LAC DU SALAGOU.

Halfway between the Causses and the valley, nestling near the Lac du Salagou, Lodève is an ancient and industrious city, built in amphitheatre form around two rivers.

n the shadow of the Saint-Fulcran cathedral, this ancient episcopal seat on the banks of the Lergue and the Soulondre held a strategic position between the Vallée de l’Hérault and the Causses du Larzac. Lodève’s inhabitants depended on their flocks, which became the basis for a wool industry as early as the 13th century. Sheet manufacturing occupied many houses, and Lodève even had a monopoly on making military uniforms. The decline of this industry began at the turn of the 20th century, and the last factories

shut fifty years ago. Lodève, nevertheless, still has a branch of the Gobelins factory, the only branch of the famous national factory of tapestries and carpets. Today the city is listed as a Ville d’Art et d’Histoire due to its architectural heritage and its Musée Fleury, very active in organising exhibitions, often historically significant. But Lodève is also rich in the natural heritage of the region, including the Lac du Salagou, an artificial lake 7.5 kilometres long, magnified by the ochre colour of its banks, a tint due to their red clay and the iron of the soil. While beyond the Cirque de Mourèze displays its ring of spectacular dolomitic limestone crags, all around the authentic villages of Clermont-l’Hérault, Liausson, Octon, Salasc, Celles, and Puech invite you to discover this 100% natural paradise. www.lodevoisetlarzac.fr

SUDDEFRANCE SUDdeFrance - -57 57- -

Villeneuvette, a model city This historic manufacturing town near Clermont-l’Hérault is a living model of pre-Revolutionary industry. Created by Colbert during the reign of Louis XIV, Villeneuvette, whose city gate bears the inscription ‘Honneur au travail’ (Honour to Work) is a rationally organised community of 800 workers living in part in their workplaces. Forty-seven houses allowed a weaver and his family to live and work at home. Made a royal factory in 1677, Villeneuvette developed over a century before beginning to decline after the French Revolution. But the factory did not close until 1954. Today its architectural unity, its well-ordered buildings, and its fountain diffuse a particularly peaceful atmosphere.

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DESTINATION - TERROIR SAINT-GUILHEM / GIGNAC

The terracesofLarzac, frontierof twoworlds

In clashing geological contrast with the shore, the back country of Hérault, between Lodève and Montpellier, introduces the Grands Causses and the last of the Mediterranean's atmosphere.

nly thirty minutes west of Montpellier, once you’ve left the sweetness of the cicadas’ song and the landscapes of garrigue and olive trees, you are aware of the change. A sort of geographic intermediary before the Causses, this region, trod for centuries by pilgrims going to Santiago de Compostela by the Via Tolosana, is the result of a brutal eruption of the Massif-Central. It was renamed Terrasses du Larzac by vine growers, who created one of the finest terroirs of all Languedoc here. From Aniane to Montpeyroux by way of Jonquières and Gignac, the terraces are home to some of the brightest and most promising vintners of

SAINT-GUILHEMLE-DÉSERT

•

PANORAMA OVER THE SLOPES OF LARZAC. Languedoc. What with discovery tours, the annual ‘Circulade Vigneronne’ in early July, the little train circling through the vines at Saint-Jean-de-Fos, and the cultivated welcome of the cellars, wine tourism is an art here. But here are more than temporal pleasures. For the spiritually minded, there is the unforgettable visit to Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert,

the astonishing Way of the Cross at Gignac, or the grotto of Clamouse, not to mention contemplative walks in these lands of limestone and marl, or the ascension of Mont Saint-Baudile (848 metres), from atop which you see the whole vine-planted plain of Hérault all the way to the sea. www.terrasses-du-larzac.com

MatthieuTorquebiau,the taste of harmony On the Terrasses du Larzac there shines a rising star of Languedoc wine-making, Matthieu Torquebiau. Age: 37 years. Distinguishing features: patience, humility, and a taste for work. Creator of the Domaine de l’Hermas, which he manages and where he lives, with his sparkling wife and adorable child. You might think it's a question of a family business, as it often is in Languedoc, but you’d be wrong. Certainly, Matthieu caught the passion for wine thanks to his vintner grandfather and lived next door to the latter's lands. But in 2003, with his oenologist’s diploma in his pocket, he took up his pilgrim’s staff and went out into the world alone to find his terroir. In the heart of the garrigues, he found and bought from the authorities in Gignac a plot at 250 metres’ altitude, on the north slope, with chalky soil. In this ‘hermas’, which means ‘fallow ground’ in Occitan, there was born ex nihilo the Domaine de l’Hermas. On these six hectares he plants syrah for its freshness and fruit, as well as mourvèdre, simply because he loves this complex grape. Patiently, for seven years, he coddles his developing vines and works for other vintners. ‘Out of these experiences, I retained above all a taste for making natural wines, wines to which nothing is added', he says. In 2009 he produces his first vintage. It is just the kind of wine he linkes: ‘easydrinking and uncomplicated’. His red Hermas is supple and light, with a fine aromatic complexity and a perfect acid balance. In the meantime, Matthieu Torquebiau buys a few other plots and produces a cuvee of rosé and white Hermas, with a nose bursting with citrus, a melting mouth-feel, a perfect balance, and a long, harmonious finish. His wines are already on the menus of the greatest restaurants in France, such as Bras in Laguiole, Alain Passard’s L’Arpège, and at Jean-François Piège’s in Paris. www.lhermas.com SUDDEFRANCE - 58 -

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DESTINATION TERROIR PÉZENAS

Pézenas,thegentle touchofLanguedoc

PÉZENAS

•

HÔTEL DES BARONS DE LACOSTE.

Pézenas abounds with rich mansions and roads paved with history.

rts and crafts, from dance to theatre and music, dominate this town which the Montmorency family and the Prince Conti, governors of Langudeoc, made their capital. The reputation of Pézenas (Hérault) still thrives thanks to its thirty or so resident creative artists, costumiers, puppeteers,

wrought iron workers, stonemasons and cabinetmakers. Besides its mansions such as the Hôtel de Peyrat, the town offers a real welcome to arts professionals from both theatre and heritage backgrounds, but Pézenas is also equally comfortable with the memory of both Molière and Boby Lapointe. The town has also attracted a sizeable group of second-hand goods dealers and there are annual fairs from May to October. Its history is dotted with important characters. Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, aka Molière, arrived in Pézenas in 1650. He spent three months

entertaining the Languedoc States General and returned for two more visits in 1653 and 1656. This stopover town proved important for Molière, whose Dom Juan is in fact a portrait of the Prince de Conti, his patron at Pézenas. Some other characters from his plays were also based on certain locals such as the Abbe Rouquette, the Prince’s confessor, who was the inspiration for Tartuffe. Over the following centuries, real movements and monuments to Molière emerged, leading the town to develop a whole cultural policy based on the dramatist’s work.

A theatre in memory of Molière It was perfectly logical that a city rightfully proud of having accommodated Molière and his 'illustrious theatre' at the beginning of his career should have a stage worthy of this honour. But, although the Moliérist movement in Pézenas dates back to 1886 and the monument to the memory of this great man of the theatre was erected in 1897, the district had only a small (though very pretty) Italian-style theatre built in 1803. Alas, this little jewelbox, remodeled in the 1900s, with its plasterwork, its trompe-l’oeil wallpaper, its stained glass, had been closed to the public for sixty years. Since 1947 exactly. Since then, this spot where Marcel Pagnol pronounced the famous, ‘Jean-Baptiste Poquelin [Molière's birth name] may have been born in Paris, but Molière was born in Pézenas!’ had been reopened only sporadically -- for boxing matches! Restoration began in 1998 and the theatre was reopened in 2012. The theatre is home, notably, to the festival ‘Molière dans tous ses éclats’, held every June. It may be seen as part of the tour entitled ‘Sur les pas de Molière’ (in Molière’s footsteps). Information: Office de Tourisme, Pézenas-Val d’Hérault. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 67 98 36 40 - www.pezenas-tourisme.fr

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PORTFOLIO SHORE

OLIVE FIELDS IN GARD.

HIKING ALONG THE SHORE.

VUE ON T

THE BEACH AT LA FRANQUI.

BARGE MOORED ON THE CANAL DU MIDI.

THE BEACH AT POINTE DE L'ESPIGUETTE. SUDDEFRANCE 60 -

THE RUINS

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PORTFOLIO WIDE OPEN SPACES

VUE ON THE MONTS D’ORB IN THE HAUTS CANTONS DE L’HÉRAULT.

CIRQUE DE NAVACELLES.

THE RUINS OF THE PONT AMBROIX AT AMBRUSSUM.

THE GORGES DU GARDON, NEAR UZÈS. SUDDEFRANCE 61 -

VINEYARD IN GARD.

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PORTFOLIO WIDE OPEN SPACES

BARRE-DES-CÉVENNES,

ON THE BORDER BETWEEN GARD AND LOZÈRE.

CANOE IN THE GORGES DU TARN, NEAR THE CHÂTEAU DE LA CAZE.

AUBRAC LANDSCAPE.

LARA MARGERIDE IN LOZÈRE.

THE VILLAGE OF SAINT-GUILHEM-LE-DÉSERT, A SPIRITUAL CENTRE. SUDDEFRANCE 62 -

MOUNTAIN LANDSCAPE IN LOZÈRE.

THE CHÂTEAU DE QUÉRIBUS, IN THE PAYS CATHARE.

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PORTFOLIO CATALAN COUNTRY

DU TARN, LA CAZE.

ABBAYE DE SAINT-MARTIN DU CANIGOU.

LOZÈRE.

LES ORGUES (FAIRY CHIMNEYS) D'ILLE-SUR-TÊT AND CANIGOU.

THE VALLÉE D’EYNE, IN CERDAGNE.

FORTERESSE DE SALSES, NEAR PERPIGNAN. SUDDEFRANCE 63 -

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DESTINATION - TERROIR UZÈS PLACE AUX HERBES.

A jewel arising from a landscape of vines and olive groves, this ducal city reigns supreme in the Gard countryside. And in the hearts of tourists.

Uzès,thesouthern wayofliving

ike those campaniles which ring the hours in the countryside around St Tropez, Uzès (Gard) has its Fenestrelle Tower, the steeple of the Cathedral of St Théodorit, cleaving the countryside with its varnished yellow and green tiles. Quite a symbol for this little Langeduoc town of only 8000 inhabitants, without a doubt a vital stopping-off point on any Languedoc itinerary ! Listed as a protected site in 1965, Uzès, with its squares surrounded by arcades, cafes and restaurants, picturesque mediaeval little streets, gentle pace and its stars (actor Samuel Benchetrit, Guy Lagache - TV presenter of M6 channel’s ‘Capital’, Jean-Louis Trintignant etc.) fully deserves the praise heaped on it by Jean Racine, who once wrote to a correspondent in Paris, “Our nights here are more beautiful than your days,” (Letters from Uzès). And there’s more. Uzès, the first duchy of France, even has a real Duke and Duchess: Jacques de Crussol d’Uzès.

The 17th Duke, an international businessman with an MBA from Columbia University in the States, has spent twenty years restoring the Ducal Château for the benefit of tourists. These same tourists flock to the town’s market on Saturday mornings to meet the local small farmers. Local crafts, already long established in this region, are undergoing a revival with the pottery and

UZÈS

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ceramic work at Saint-Quentin-la-Poterie. However, the summer highlight is the Pont du Gard, where visitors come to seek the fresh air and feast their eyes on a region, graced with cypress trees and undulating valleys, that is more than a little reminiscent of Tuscany. www.uzes-tourisme.com

A strangely round tower Situated near the Hotel de Castille, the cathedral of St Théodorit is surprisingly proportioned. Built at the end of the 11th century on the site of a Roman temple, the church was destroyed many times and the present tower dates from the middle of the 17th century. Most interesting of all, the cathedral is flanked on the right side by the Tour Fenestrellle, whose height and round form are astonishing, a rarity in France, perhaps inspired by Italian campaniles. The construction of this remnant from the old cathedral would appear to date back to the 12th century, at least the lower part and the “screw of St Gilles”, a staircase whose steps are supported by a helix-shaped barrel vault.

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DESTINATION - TERROIR SAINT-GILLES / BEAUCAIRE

Saint-Gilles, arounditsabbeychurch

SAINT-GILLES

A transit city during the Middle Ages, Saint-Gilles is a peaceful spot, with a rich archaeological heritage and traditions typical of the Camargue.

city of pilgrimage, Saint Gilles developed in the Middle Ages around its namesake saint and the abbey church supposed to shelter his tomb. It was at that time the great port of the south of France and a strategic point for both the transport of crusaders and pilgrims to Rome and the Holy Land and for trade with the East. Although the saint is less well-known today, the city is still a stage on the road to Santiago de Compostela and its church has kept its superb façade with three portals separated by columns covered entirely by sculptures, formally inspired by ancient Rome’s triumphal arches. This gem of the Romesque art of the lower Rhône presents a visual interpretation of passages of the Gospels and the Bible, as well as

the styles of the different sculptors who, in the 12th century, took part in its ornamentation. Partly destroyed during the Wars of Religion and remodeled in the 17th century, the church has kept its tombs, gisants (recumbent figures), and statues. The city has retained other traces of its rich mediaeval past, including several Romanesque houses. The most famous in Languedoc, known as the Maison Romane, features a small museum of regional archaeology and ethnology behind its superb stone façade, great doors, and architraves. Saint-Gilles is also famed for its Camarguais character, on display at the many bullfights and events of summer: courses camarguaises in the arenas, bulls running in the streets, making the heart of the city beat faster. A stroll through the port, which has given up trade to welcome pleasure boats, may give you a hankering to discover the Camargue a different way, by the Canal du Rhône à Sète. You may even go by boat to Beaucaire, another high point of river tourism. www.tourisme.saint-gilles.fr Musée de la Maison Romane. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 66 87 40 42.

Beaucaire,city of art and history Beaucaire owes part of its rich past to the Rhône flowing through it. Around the Place de la République, lined with arcaded houses, beautiful mansions like the Hôtel de Clausonnette (whose ground floor storage rooms were rented to silk and linen merchants) or the Hôtel de Ville built by the consuls and the royal administrators, are the witnesses of its apogee. As is the scale of Notre-Dame-des-Pommiers, an immense edifice with a curvilinear façade. The Château de Beaucaire, the former residence of the Counts of Toulouse, retains some fragmentary beauties like the polygonal tower, the roundtower, and its ramparts overlooking the old town. Listed as a ‘Ville d’Art et d’Histoire’, Beaucaire entices not only because of its heritage, but because its streets and lanes have attracted craftsmen, ceramicists, embroiderers, leather workers, basket weavers, and stained glass artisans, giving it an additional charm. A few kilometres’ walk through the garrigue to the Abbaye de Saint-Roman is a pleasure not to be missed. Carved into the limestone, starting in the fifth century, by monks who occupied it for nearly a thousand years, this former cave monastery is unique in Europe. A magical place and a superb panorama. www.ot-beaucaire.fr

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THE BAIDE DE PAULILLES.

AN ART OF LIVING

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The land of contrasts that is LanguedocRoussillon is composed of a mosaic of different landscapes. From mountain-top to the sea, from the high cantons to the Mediterranean, from the Petite Camargue to the Vermillion coastline, they give rise to a smorgasbord of specialities which shape a veritable sun-soaked, refined cuisine. While you are probably already familiar with the Picholine variety of olive, cassoulet from Castelnaudary and Carcassonne, anchovies from Collioure, oysters from the Leucate and Thau lakes, brandade from Nîmes, squid and sweet onions from Cévennes or even Pézenas pasties, the gamut of flavours just keeps on coming. So many products fly the flag for this gastronomic region; in addition Languedoc-Roussillon is favoured with the largest viticultural region on the planet and produces some of the world’s best wines – a joyous area!

For more information, scan this QR code with your smart phone or log on to : www.destinationsuddefrance.com/artdevivre

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ART DE VIVRE VINS SUD DE FRANCE

The biggest vineyard in the world

Thanks to its nurturing climate and the richness and multiplicity of its terroirs, Languedoc-Roussillon's vines are achieving higher and higher levels of quality. It is also the largest and the oldest wine-growing region in the world, spreading over more than 200,000 hectares.

Gather ye rosés A historical paradox: while rosé may be the latest craze, among the three colours of wine, it is in fact the oldest! From Antiquity through the 17th century, wines were not barrel-aged, and thus were light in colour. The term ‘claret’ (with its relation to the French clair, or light) was invented to designate wine in general. Replaced by red in the 19th century, rosé wine is now reasserting itself over prejudice and bad examples. Produced from the same grapes as red wine (in this region, mainly cinsault, syrah, and Grenache), rosé is not, of course, a mixture of white and red, but the result of a different maceration technique. The rosé wines of LanguedocRoussillon, with their aromatic palette ranging from red fruit (raspberry, strawberry) to spice, with a bouquet as floral as it is fruity or mineral, are fresh and appealing, wines to drink informally. IGP (quality-labelled) wines from Pays d’Oc to Corbières by way of Faugères or Pic Saint-Loup already represent 18% of the region's wine production. Elegant and feminine, they produce the impression of drinking sunbeams.

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f, in vino veritas, truth is in wine, then Languedoc-Roussillon is truly blessed! It was on this soil that vineyards took root; after vines were imported by the Greeks in 600 B.C.E. to southern Gaul, wine production spread along the Via Domitia, from Narbonne to Italy.

The vineyards flourished for twenty centuries, with wine becoming the region's main economic driver. Languedoc and a part of Roussillon were nothing but rows of vines as far as the eye could see. People spoke of a ‘sea of grapes’ between Carcassonne and the Rhône!

Variety is the spice of life … For thirty years now, Languedoc-Roussillon has been redefining the vintner’s trade to make the most of the quality of its terroirs. A quality combined with diversity in a region cultivating naturally sweet wines (the muscats of Lunel, Mireval, Frontignan, Saint-Jean-deMinervois, Rivesaltes, Banyuls, and Banyuls Grand Cru), sparkling wines (including Blanquette and Crémant de Limoux) and many reds, whites, and rosés as well. No other region boasts such variety, with over thirty different grape stocks being grown. In just a few decades, vintners and oenologists have reinvented themselves to concentrate on

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Wine tourism, a new warmth From ancient times, wine acquired a uniqueness charged with its own significance. “The peoples surrounding the Mediterranean started to emerge from barbarism when they learned how to cultivate the olive tree and the grapevine,” observed the historian Thucydides 2,500 years ago. Heirs of an out-of-the-ordinary terrain, the winemakers of Languedoc-Roussillon have seen the benefit of learning their craft and products. From the month of April, the region becomes a paradise for lovers of wine tourism with a multitude of special events which take the form of tastings in unique settings – a wine and food trail with stops along a predefined route. In April, Montepeyroux organises “Toutes caves ouvertes” – an open cellar event and Peyriac-de-Mer and Bages offers a “Five senses route”. In May, AOC Lirac hosts its traditional Jaugeurs gourmet tour while AOC Costières de Nîmes puts on its “Vignes Toquées” (“Crazy Vines”), and the winegrowers from Clape near Narbonne have their “Sentiers Gourmands” (“Gourmet Trails”). In the Pyrénées-Orientales, thanks to an initiative from the wine producers from the village of Calce, “Les caves se rebiffent” (“The cellars rebel”) is held in the middle of the month. The events take place throughout the summer with a great number of wine circuits to explore in the terraces of Larzac, the wandering vines in Pic Saint-Loup, and to top it all off, the large wine fair at Uzès. The icing on the cake this year is that the Faugères appellation is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary, culminating on 8th July in the John the Baptist Feast in the village of Faugères – so many unique fun moments.

quality, develop concepts, experiment with tradition, and advance the development of wines from organically-grown grapes, which already represent nearly 9.8% of vineyard production.

A palette of flavours Languedoc, the terroir of sun-drenched wines, is proud to respect its vines' diversity, producing distinctively generous and subtle crus. From the shale that fortifies the wines of Saint-Chinian, Côtes du Roussillon, and Coteaux de Languedoc to the pebbly soil of Corbières that produces the spicy red wines of Lézignan, Boutenac, and Lagrasse, the range of flavours is wide! Languedoc-Roussillon’s 200,000 hectares, 70,000 of them Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée, is the world’s largest single winegrowing property, rich with many IGP regional quality labels and AOC appellations (more than thirty) as diverse as Cabardès, Collioure, Crémant de Limoux, Fitou, Muscat de Frontignan, and Languedoc. Since 2007 the single appellation AOC Languedoc includes all appellations between Gard and the Spanish frontier, providing more transparency for consumers. Additionally, the shared logo ‘Sud de France’ SUDDEFRANCE - 69 -

now symbolises the identity and modernity of southern France's wines as they continue the beloved tradition of the Mediterranean art of living. The famous American wine critic Robert Parker was not in error when he wrote that ‘Languedoc-Roussillon is the wine world's new Eldorado’! * The Languedoc AOC includes the following appellations: Cabrières, Grès de Montpellier, La Clape, La Méjanelle, Montpeyroux, Quatourze, Pézenas, Pic Saint-Loup, Saint-Christol, Saint-Drézéry, Saint-Georges-d’Orques, Saint-Saturnin, Terrasses de Béziers, Terrasses du Larzac, Terres de Sommières, Vérargues.

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AN ART OF LIVING BRASUCADE

Brasucade, aLanguedocspecialty tosavouramongfriends

Brasucade of Mussels, Thau-Style Serves 4 2.5 kg Mediterranean mussels (4 kg for a main dish) 25 cl olive oil Thyme, rosemary, bay leaf 1 clove of garlic, crushed - Pepper

A simple bowl of mussels? Brasucade is much more …

st likely derived from braso, meaning ‘hot coal’, the word brasucado could be related to the Languedoc verb brasucar, ‘to poke’. It is used in the Cévennes for roast chestnuts grilled over a fire in a perforated pan that lets them absorb flavour from the smoke. In Languedoc, a brasucade is a dish of mussels cooked on a metal tray – to catch the juice – set on hot coals. This culinary specialty is thought to have originated on the banks of the Étang de Thau, between Bouzigues and

Marseillan. Oyster and mussel growers returning to the shore after visiting their beds on the lake would set a few mussels on a metal dish heated over a vine-branch fire. The shells would open in the heat. Then a sauce of olive oil, rosemary, and other herbs would add a tang of the Midi. Purists say that a plain brasucade is the best way to appreciate the true flavour of mussels. But it is more likely to be accompanied by a sauce – based on pastis, white wine, red pepper, herbes de Provence – the list is endless! … A big brasucade, brasucade night … This dish has become an institution for gath-

Put oil, herbs, and garlic in a little bowl and let them macerate for at least 24 hours. Ideally this sauce should be prepared a week ahead. Light a wood fire or prepare a barbecue grill to obtain red hot coals. Put a pan on the coals, then add the mussels. Let them open, then discard the cooking juice. Pour the sauce over the mussels and finish cooking, briefly (2 minutes) to avoid drying them out. Serve immediately. Variation: add 1 teaspoon of pastis to the sauce. erings, whether holiday, family, athletic, or municipal … The cooking technique is now applied to snails and squid, among others, and brasucade is known well beyond the shores of Thau.

Shellfish:from Bouzigues to Leucate In the Hérault, the pretty little port of Bouzigues is a gourmet treasure among the plants of the Etang de Thau. Wholly devoted to shellfish, the village abounds with producers who offer tastings at the water’s edge.A good idea to step off the beaten track and enjoy seafood platters, enjoy brasucade and other specialties facing the Mont Saint-Clair.The Récantou,The Tchèpe, Demoiselles Dupuy, La Côte Bleue, Les Rives de Thau, and fifteen other establishments offer various ways to taste shellfish and crustaceans. A pretty port, a small museum, and a belltower seen from far away tell the story of a Shellfish culture still open to visitors. An oyster route winds its way among the shellfish breeders. The oyster even has its own Festival every year in mid-August. In the Aude, between Port-Leucate and Leucate, the decor is a little different but the welcome is as charming.A multitude of small huts are planted along the lagoon where producers serve oysters and shellfish all of the time. It is a pleasant idea to come there to dine outdoors. Oysters from Bouzigues, Leucate and Gruissan are of the same species but, from a point of view of taste, they are a little different. Open all year, it is something that remains truly exotic. SUDDEFRANCE - 70 -

AN ART OF LIVING MARKETS

Les Halles the belly of Narbonne!

Much more than a market, the Narbonne Halles are one of the nerve centres of the city. Built in 1901, this vast market hall is still active and more animated than ever before. Its metal framework shelters nearly seventy food businesses: charcutiers, butchers, pastry-makers, bars, greengrocers, and restaurants, including the storied Chez Bébelle … This unique gathering place is completely a part of local culture. In the aisles between the stalls, they say that the market has a soul. A warm, bustling spirit. And 2,800 square metres of enticing fragrances – spices, olives, fresh vegetables, sausage, even – at the right moment, bien sûr – pastis. For the people of Narbonne come to Les Halles to do their marketing, of course, but also to stroll and get together with friends. A delightful place, open 365 days a year, where you'll enjoy letting time go by ... Les Halles, 1 boulevard du Docteur-Ferroul, Narbonne. Every day, 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. www.narbonne.halles.fr

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LES HALLES / NARBONNE

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AN ART OF LIVING ROUSSILLON APRICOTS

Fleshy, juicy, flavourful … sinking your teeth into a Roussillon apricot is one of summer’s first taste treats.

Roussillonapricots,

asubtlesummersweetness

ought from the high mountains of north-eastern China to be cultivated in France from the 18th century on, the apricot is as beautiful as it is sweet. How to recognize a Roussillon apricot? Trust your eyes: small, deep orange in colour with a fine red blush on one cheek and sometimes a few ‘freckles’. Varieties such as ‘Rouge’, ‘Royal du Roussillon’, ‘Héléna’, and ’Gâterie’ are local, adapted to the soil and climate.

They are extremely fragrant and have a high sugar content, putting them among the sweetest of all apricots. This fruit owes its fragrance and unique taste to the 320 days of sunshine that bathe the plains of Roussillon where it is raised, a privileged terroir spreading from the foot of the Pyrenees to the Mediterranean. The different varieties reach maturity on dates staggered from late May to late July. They are honoured every July by Rivesaltes in the first major festival of the Catalan summer.(1) Roussillon supplies 22% of France’s apricots, with 789 hectares of orchards. This fruit, ideally found on market stands (from late May to late August for those grown in France), must be selected as ripe as possible,

deep-coloured and soft to the touch, for it does not ripen further after picking. And to get its full flavour, it's best to eat it as soon as possible, unless you use it to make dessert, sorbet, jam, or sweet-and-sour dishes. The French apricot has an AOP quality label including 23 production and business organisations in the major growing areas, namely 'Vallée du Rhône', ‘Gard, Crau, Provence’, and ‘Roussillon’. The AOP France apricot is enrolled in ‘Vergers éco-responsables’ (Ecologically Responsible Orchards) and the French Arboriculturists’ Quality Charter. 1)The Rivesaltes apricot festival celebrates its 40th anniversary on 10 July 2013.

The story of the Roussillon apricot is told in Paco et Aléna, ou la véritable histoire des abricots rouges du Roussillon, by Andrée Avogadri and Joël Cimarron, Esprit Media Editions, 2013. SUDDEFRANCE - 72 -

Apricot Clafoutis withLavender Preparation: 20 minutes Cooking: 30 minutes Serves 4 15 cl milk, 60 g flour 50 g sugar, 3 eggs, 40 g butter, melted 1 cc of lavender blossoms (available in organic food stores) 10 ‘Rouge’ Roussillon apricots Cut the apricots in two, remove the pits, and place the apricot halves cut side down in a baking tin. Combine the flour and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs and mix, then pour in the milk and the melted butter. Add the lavender blossoms last. Preheat the oven to 180° C. Pour the batter over the apricots and bake for 30 minutes. Serve the clafoutis right from the pan, room temperature or chilled. From 100 Recettes du Sud, Guy Martin, Editions du Chêne. Guy Martin is the Michelin-starred chef of the Grand Véfour, 17 rue de Beaujolais, Paris.

AN ART OF LIVING MARKETS

Les Halles of Sète quality and conviviality On the 'singular island', you go to the market for provender and people, not for the architecture. The 1970s-era market building with its three-story parking garage is frankly ugly. But who cares? Hearty company and quality produce are what you come for. The butcher is organic, the fruit and vegetable stalls are as beautifully arranged as those of Barcelona, and the fish sellers display tuna and sardines freshly caught by local fishermen. People come from Montpellier and even Marseille to buy their fish fresh from one of the five market sellers, or oysters and mussels from the Étang de Thau! So wander around the 75 stalls: fruits and vegetables, fancy groceries, Cianni’s classic tielles (seafood pasties), cheese, the pasta and Italian products of Sète’s transalpine immigration – and much more. But there is also the authentic atmosphere of the bistros where Sète’s residents come to drink coffee, read the paper, or take an aperitif. Some settle in for a full lunch at the dining stalls, with their convivial and genuine local fare. Les Halles, boulevard Gambetta, Sète. Every day, 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. www.halles-sete.com

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LES HALLES / SÈTE

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ART DE VIVRE OLIVES

Olives,oils,andtapenade, Mediterraneanpleasures

Tapenade, Languedocstyle Serves 6 Preparation: 10 minutes 100 g anchovy filets 250 g black olives, pitted 100 g capers, drained ½ clove garlic Squeeze of lemon 2 or 3 spoonfuls of olive oil Mash together olives, anchovies, capers, and garlic, using a mortar and pestle. Add the oil olive bit by bit while mixing, as though you were making mayonnaise. Add the lemon juice. Pepper lightly. The result should be easily spreadable on toast or crackers. Tapenade is eaten at cocktail time, but, like anchoïde, it also makes a wonderful first course with raw vegetables. It should be kept chilled, covered with a thin layer of olive oil, in a glass or porcelain container.

Eating olives, olive oil, olive-leaf tea – the supreme product of the Mediterranean has many uses.

he olive tree, symbol of the Mediterranean, is a millennial heritage uniting the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. While olive cultivation began in the Bronze Age in Asia Minor, it didn’t develop in France until about 600 B.C.E. Today it is practiced in thirteen districts of southern France. Languedoc-Roussillon is France’s second-largest olive oil producer.

The Picholine olive, the variety most grown in Gard, is used for eating and oil. The ‘Olive de Nîmes’ bears the French AOC label, and Nîmes olive oil, at least 70% Picholine, the European AOP. In Aude, the Lucques olive, generally an eating olive, is recognisable by its light green colour and crescent shape. The Olivière is one of the finest Pyrénées-

Orientales varieties. Traditionally, Hérault grows Lucques and Olivière; one of the most celebrated local olive oils is Rougette de Pignan. Eating olives, oil, soap, cosmetics, olivewood objects, olive-leaf tea… its transformations are multiple and the opportunities to explore them many in Languedoc-Roussillon. The olive road goes from olive groves to olive treaters, mills, and cooperatives, some of which are open for tastings. Olive oil tasting, from the mildest to the fruitiest or the pepperiest, has its rules and codes, maintained by the brotherhood of Chevaliers de l’Olivier in Languedoc-Roussillon. Like wine, olive oil has a wide aromatic range, from notes of green tomato, artiSUDDEFRANCE - 74 -

choke, and green apple, to those of pear or almond, linden flower, or fresh-cut grass. The olive is celebrated as it deserves by many festivals, from April to December, in the olive-growing regions. Green or black, as an appetizer, cooked in main dishes, or as an oil, you'll find the olive's flavour and benefits -- for this essential element of the Mediterranean diet is good for our health. Not only is it an antioxidant, it also protects us against cardiovascular disease. Each olive variety has its characteristics and several ways of preparation. The markets where they are served by the (olivewood) ladleful are a delightful opportunity to appreciate them – not to mention another specialty, tapenade!

AN ART OF LIVING MARKETS

A unique atmosphere in Lunel’s 1900 Halles Is it the charm of the market buildings’ architecture, all iron, glass, and brick, in the 1900s style of Baltard’s Paris Halles? Is it the peaceful atmosphere of the narrow streets of the old town? Or the good cheer of the inhabitants, who are known, poetically, as 'pescalunes’ (‘moonfishers’ in Occitan)? The famed Lunel market is unique in its region, not because of its size, but because of its good-humoured spirit, its character of a village untouched by time, and the quality of its products as well. This magnificent red brick and blue metalwork building, bearing the city’s arms over its entrance, is one of the last of its kind. Its enclosed area creates a proximity between merchant and customer, inviting you to chat with the proud producers about their wine, honey, and olive oil. On the colourful, fragrant stands are piled pyramids of fruits and vegetables, a whole world of cheese, meat, and charcuterie, fowl and eggs, anchovies and other treasures of the sea. You crowd around the buvette counter to savour, in the friendly tumult, a petit noir coffee in the morning, and, in the evening, at the hour of the aperitif, a muscat - de Lunel, of course! Les Halles - Cours Gabriel-Péri, Lunel. Tuesday through Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

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LES HALLES / LUNEL

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AN ART OF LIVING LOZÈRE LAMB

Lozèrelamb, qualityassured

“A

Agneau de Lozère” has an IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée) European label. Its breed, Blanche du Massif Central, is not the only factor in its quality and flavour. Between milk-fed and grass-fed, the lamb suckles until its natural weaning time and continues to live with its mother until the age of three months. As it is being weaned, it eats natural grass fodder, sometimes supplemented with grain. The quality of its environment is an immense asset. The geographic label “Pays de Lozère”, more extensive than the Lozère administrative district itself, includes most of the province. Aubrac, Margeride, Cévennes or Causses, these lands have in common wide open spaces with abundant, diverse vegetation, meadows and plains, protected natural pastureland perfect for grazing. Born, bred, and butchered in Lozère, each lamb has an individual certificate of origin as a guarantee of quality. A handful of breeders in Lozère came together in the association Elovel (Lozère Sheep Breeding and Environment Association) and obtained the European Union IGP label in 2008. The “Agneau du Gévaudan” label is another quality assurance developed by the

“de Lozère” association, created by the Consular Chambers (of agriculture, commerce, and trade) and the General Council. These lambs, originating exclusively in the Lozère administrative district, are raised in pastures and sheepfolds according to the traditional far-ranging method. The “Agneau de parcours du Parc National des

Raised in sheepfolds and the open air, Lozère lamb is a labelled product.

Cévennes”, whose specifications were established fifteen years ago together with the Parc, must pasture at least eighty days there. These lambs follow their mothers and are nourished with milk and parkland grass. Aged from three to ten months, these spring lambs “grow at the same time as the grass”, according to their breeders.

Roast rackofLozèrelamb withitscourgettegratin 1 rack of lamb (8 ribs)—40 g butter – 1 onion – 1 carrot – 1.2 kg courgettes 8 eggs – 40 cl cream – garlic, basil, thyme, salt, pepper Cut excess fat from the rack of lamb, if necessary. Peel and wash the garlic, carrot, and onion. Crush the garlic, slice the onion, and dice the carrot. Wash the courgettes and slice them in 1mm rounds, steam them for 15 minutes, and drain. Crack the eggs and mix in a little chopped garlic and the cream. In a gratin dish, combine the courgettes and the egg mixture, smooth, and cook for 30 minutes in a 180°C oven. Season the rack of lamb, put it in a roasting pan with the vegetable garnish, drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with a little thyme. Brown in a hot oven (250°C) for 10 minutes, then finish cooking at 200°C, approximately 10 minutes depending on the size of the rack. Remove and keep warm. Deglaze the cooking pan and its vegetables with water; let everything boil together, then strain the resulting liquid through a fine sieve. Serve the rack of lamb with this jus and the courgette gratin. Recipe supplied by the Association “de Lozère”, 27 avenue Foch, Mende. The trademark “de Lozère” was created to promote the district’s farmed food products. SUDDEFRANCE - 76 -

ART DE VIVRE FOCUS HALLES

Les Halles de Nîmes, an agora in the south of France For 132 years Nîmes’ market halls have maintained tradition and a typically southern vivacity. Jokes fly, recipes are exchanged, there’s no end to the backchat, all in an atmosphere of high good humour. Remodelled in the early 1980s, the buildings are rather dark, but are brightened on the weekend with a lively crowd come to shop the 75 stands for petit pâté nîmois (a veal and pork pasty), fruits and vegetables, cheese, fish, olives, olive oil, and much more. So many tastes and aromas make the market a hive of food workers. These colourful, noisy, appealing halls are famed for their products’ high quality. The restaurant Halles Auberge has for the past few years become the locals’ go-to destination for a real, hearty lunch. In short, the essence of unconquerable Nîmes, the heart of the old town. Les Halles, rue du Général-Perrier, Nîmes. Monday through Saturday 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.; Sunday, 7:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. www.leshallesdenimes.com

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LES HALLES / NÎMES

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AN ART OF LIVING CHEFS DE CUISINE

CYRIL ATTRAZIC

FRÉDÉRIC BACQUIE

JEAN-MARC BOYER

CHARLES FONTÈS

FABIEN GALIBERT

GÉRALD GARCIA

MATTHIEU DE LAUZUN

FABIEN LEFEBVRE

ANNE MAJOUREL

MICHEL DEL BURGO

DANIEL MINET

In Languedoc-Roussillon, te The number of fine dining establishments continues to grow. With 28 restaurants listed as “Bonnes Adresses” and 22 with one or more stars, Languedoc-Roussillon is well represented in the Guide Michelin

here are, of course, guidebooks other than Michelin, and the region's restaurants figure largely therein. But the “Guide Rouge”, as it is called, is the oldest and most prestigious guidebook in France. So a bit of horn-blowing is in order …

Kayser of Nîmes with his finely-calibrated style; the young prodigy Daniel Minet of Aude – all proudly carry the banner of this region, whose art of living has a southern tang.

For twenty years the restaurant-owners of Languedoc-Roussillon, land of a thousand terroirs, have claimed their identity and demonstrated their talent by means of hard work and passion. Jacques and Laurent Pourcel of Montpellier, first starred by Michelin two decades ago and tireless ambassadors of Mediterranean cuisine; Michel

These are the passions of Gilles Goujon, the only three-star Michelin chef in the region, who heads the largest restaurant in France in the tiniest district (110 inhabitants!). This ogre of the life-force, mad for flavour and mad for work, has raised his establishment to the pinnacle of French cuisine. Hats off. And what can we say about Jérôme Nutile,

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Intense work,intense flavour

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SERGE CHENET

JÉRÔME NUTILE

CHRISTOPHE COMES

PHILIPPE DUCOS

FABIEN FAGE

LIONEL GIRAUD

GILLES GOUJON

MICHEL KAYSER

JACQUES ET LAURENT POURCEL

FRANCK PUTELAT

JÉRÔME RYON

n, terroir sets the tone two stars, the talented chef of Gard whose stature grows like Jack’s beanstalk? Or his altar ego in Carcassonne, Franck Putelat, who recently won his second star? They are ambassadors of this perpetually evolving region, together with chefs by the name of Fontès, Ryon, Attrazic, Garcia, Giraud, and Bacquié, their worthy colleagues. They are supported by less brilliant but no less respectable establishments, winners of the “Bib Gourmand” demonstrating that for them, while lunching or dining, the customer is king!

The Region’s 22 Starred Chefs Cyril Attrazic*, Chez Camillou – Aumont-Aubrac (48) ; Fréderic Bacquié*, La Balette – Collioure (66) ; Jean-Marc Boyer*, Le Puits du Trésor – Lastours (11) ; Serge Chenet*, Entre vigne et garrigue, Pujaut (30) ; Christophe Comes*, La Galinette – Perpignan (66) ; Philippe Ducos*, Domaine d’Auriac – Carcassonne (11) ; Fabien Fage*, le Prieuré – Villeneuve-lès-Avignon (30) ; Charles Fontès*, La Réserve Rimbaud – Montpellier (34) ; Fabien Galibert*, la Bergerie – Aragon (11) ; Gérald Garcia*, Château la Pomarède – Pomarède (11) ; Lionel Giraud*, Table SaintCrescent – Narbonne (11) ; Gilles Goujon***, Auberge du vieux puits – Fontjoncouse (11) ; Michel Kayser**, Alexandre – Nîmes (30) ; Matthieu de Lauzun*, de Lauzun – Gignac (34) ; Fabien Lefebvre*, l’Ambassade – Béziers (34) ; Anne Majourel*, La Coquerie – Sète (34) ; Daniel Minet*, L’Ambrosia – Pézens (11) ; Jérôme Nutile**, Auberge du Castellas – Collias (30) ; Jacques et Laurent Pourcel*, Le Jardin des sens – Montpellier ; Franck Putelat**, Le Parc – Carcassonne (11) ; Jérôme Ryon*, La Barbacane – Carcassonne (11).

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CALI, DYONISOS, LUCE, BALBINO, AND RENAN LUCE ZÉNITH SUD DE FRANCE TOUR 2012. AND OLIVIA RUIZ IN CONCERT AT THE THÉÂTRE DE LA MER, SÈTE.

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As little as fifty years ago, the limestone plateaus and dunes of the LanguedocRoussillon, were little known and largely untamed. Today – the region, which has retained its

ACTIVITIES

natural character, has become an almost unrivalled holiday destination. As well as its generous range of traditional hotels and bed & breakfast, the region boasts a number of high class establishments - which make up the exclusive “Cercle Prestige” – where the quality of service is on a par with the beauty of their settings. This part of Southern France also boasts a number of high class, luxury spas offering thalassotherapy and body treatments. One of the aspects that go to make this region so authentic is the vibrant cultural identity that is reflected in a respect for tradition. A thriving arts and crafts culture, together with some magical festivals at incredible venues, such as the city of Carcassonne or the Nîmes amphitheatre, has made Languedoc-Roussillon synonymous with creativity and celebration. Finally, for those who like to let off steam, there are a wide range of activities to choose from: kite-surfing, golf, canoeing and sailing, to name but a few! For more information, scan this QR code with your Smartphone or connect directly on: www.destinationsuddefrance.com/agenda

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ACTIVITIES CULTURE THE PAINTINGS OF CLAUDE VIALLAT OF NÎMES, ONE OF THE

FOUNDERS OF THE SUPPORTS/SURFACES MOVEMENT.

FromFauvism

to theArt Modeste movement Collioure, Sète, and Céret have influenced major artists, notably members of the Fauvism movement. But the relationship between art and the region doesn’t stop there. Languedoc-Roussillon is the refuge of many creators.

oussillon was the laboratory of modern painting, with Picasso, Braque, Max Jacob, Soutine, and Chagall, and a temple of sculpture thanks to Maillol. The shores of Hérault inspired Gustave Courbet – worldfamous for his ‘L’Origine du Monde’ – and, more light-heartedly, Albert Dubout cartooned the town of Palavas. In the 1960s, the originators of the Supports/Surfaces movement (which accords equal importance to the materials, the act of creation, and the finished work) often came from this region: Viallat, Dezeuze, Devade, and Dolla Bioulès contributed largely to the demystification of the artistic object.

The region’s most famous artist at work today is doubtless Pierre Soulages, who divides his time between Paris and Sète. His monochrome works, all based on the reflec-

tion of light and the varying surface effects of black paint, designated by the term 'Outre-noir' (Beyond Black), were exhibited at the Centre Georges-Pompidou in Paris and the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg before, in 2007, Montpellier’s Musée Fabre devoted a room to him after his donation to the city of twenty of his works. Anselm Kiefer, the famous creator of monumental sculptors, at one time had his studio in Barjac, Gard. Sophie Calle, whose mission as an artist consists of making her life, particularly its most intimate moments, her work, using all possible media, loves to recharge her batteries at Cailar in Petite Camargue. And, of course, the Figuration Libre movement – which exploded in the 1980s with rock'n'roll or Arab-inflected works, painting deliberately ‘crude’ when not actually part of the Bad Painting movement (see Julian Schnabel) – although born in Nice, settled in this region. Hervé Di Rosa, born in Sète, further developed this movement by creating Art Modeste, which for the past thirteen years has had its own international museum, MIAM, in Sète. There are so many vibrant artists whose works are to be found in the region’s museums: Nîmes’ Carré d’Art, Sérignan’s Musée d’Art Contemporain, Céret’s Musée d’Art Moderne, not to mention MontpelSUDdeFrance - 82 -

HERVÉ DI ROSA OF SÈTE IN FRONT OF ONE OF THE PANELS HE CREATED FOR HIS CITY. PIERRE SOULAGES, WITH ONE OF HIS PAINTINGS, IN MONTPELLIER’S MUSÉE FABRE.

lier’s Musée Fabre and Lodève’s Musée Fleury. New talents are emerging today in Languedoc-Roussillon. The painter PierreLuc Poujol, the photographer Catherine Gfeller, the sculptor Audrey Martin, and the enigmatic TTY-Art exhibit their work in the many galleries and contemporary art centres dotting Collioure, Aigues-Mortes, Nîmes, Carcassonne, Narbonne, Perpignan, and Béziers.

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ACTIVITIES CULTURE

THE ARENA OF NÎMES

Siteofmanycultures A land rich in history, Languedoc-Roussillon has preserved a multiplicity of traditions and cultures, enriched by the contributions of artists living in and inspired by the region.

rom the famous Carnival of Limoux – the world’s longest – to the Festival of the Bear in Vallespir, by way of Camargue's festivals, sardane, corridas, water-jousts, and of course grape harvest festivals, the region is rich in traditional celebrations, sometimes hundreds of years old. In this rebellious region, popular festivals were also, for a long time, a way of affirming identity and resisting centralised power. Combining legend, folklore, religion, and important moments of the peasant life of yesteryear, these festivals and traditions remain lively and welcoming. This is especially the case for festivals of totem animals representing a community, which take place in Villeveyrac, Mèze, Loupian, Pézenas, and Bessan.

Although they take place throughout the year, the majority of these events are held in warm weather. This is the case for the Fête de la Saint-Louis at Aigues-Mortes, the Fête de la Saint-Pierre, with its celebrated water-

jousts, at Sète, the oyster festival at Bouzigues, the Fête du Babau at Rivesaltes, the wickerwork festival at Vallabrègues, not to mention the many votive festivals punctuating the summer.

In the south of France,life is a dance! Sun-fired melting pot of cultures, Languedoc-Roussillon offers a wealth of cultural events throughout the year. Nevertheless, summer is when the region rolls out the welcome mat for festivals, its unique settings becoming showcases. The majesty of the Arena of Nîmes, the solemnity of the Cité de Carcassonne, the magic of the Sète's Théâtre de la Mer, the elegance of the courtyard of the Duché d’Uzès – so many unforgettable settings for unforgettable moments. During the season, the coast of the Gulf of Lion becomes the biggest auditorium in France! There’s everything – French chanson, opera, dance, electro, theatre, operetta, jazz, rock, comedy, and reggae. At least a hundred festivals making the summer swing and confirming that the south of France is a land of welcome. SUDdeFrance - 83 -

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ACTIVITIES ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

Aregionofarchitecture anddesign Modern cities with a distinctive respect for their past, traditional villages turned towards their future – these make up Languedoc-Roussillon.

THE GEORGES-FRÊCHE HOTEL SCHOOL IN MONTPELLIER.

or decades, celebrated architects have made their mark on these cities. The Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill remodelled the Antigone district in Montpellier to give it a neoClassical touch; Claude Vasconi sheathed the Palais des Congrès in pink granite. Fashion designer Christian Lacroix disguised the streetcars of one transit line of the regional capital as amusing monsters.

In Nîmes, Norman Foster dressed the Carré d’Art in glass and steel. Philippe Starck created a spectacle of the city’s emblems (the palm tree and the crocodile) in an audacious urban setting. In the Roman city, buildings by Jean Nouvel evoke ocean liners. More recently, Montpellier’s new town hall, a showpiece of contemporary design, is his creation. L'Archipel cultural centre in Perpignan? Nouvel again! In Montpellier, the celebrated architect Zaha Hadid is responsible for the new government archive building, Pierres-

vives. Massimiliano Fukas designed the Georges Frêche hotel school. In Lozère, Jean-Michel Wilmotte completely revamped the thermal spa of La Chaldette. Rudy Riciotti and his Passerelle des Anges at Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert; Anne Gaubert and François Moget, who designed the Musée de Sérignan around Daniel Buren’s sculptures; Michel Macary, shaping Montpellier’s expansion to the south… in Languedoc-Roussillon, the stars of contemporary architecture dazzle the eyes!

Architects and festivals In June 2013, the Festival des Architectures Vives returns: the courtyards of Montpellier’s townhouses will be lighted and staged by a young generation of architects, landscape artists, and urban designers. For its eighth edition, the FAV is doing something new, expanding to La Grande-Motte, SUDdeFrance - 84 -

which received the “Patrimoine du XXe Siècle” heritage label from the French Ministry of Culture and Communications in 2010. This makes La Grande-Motte a perfect place to welcome a Festival whose primary objective is to promote the region’s architectural heritage. But Languedoc-Roussillon is also a region with a culture of design that manifests itself throughout. Specialised boutiques in town centres or outskirts, showrooms, restaurants, hotels, guest houses, private beaches… make Languedoc-Roussillon a special destination for design-lovers. In 2013, Montpellier welcomes Design Tour for a second year. This peripatetic local event introduces lovers of design, style, and art to the best young innovators, both French and international, the latest novelties and seasonal trends, presented on the sites that bring design to life in the region.

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THE HÉRAULT GOVERNMENT ARCHIVES, DESIGNED BY ZAHA HADID.

MONTPELLIER’S NEW TOWN HALL, BY JEAN NOUVEL. THE CARRÉ D’ART, BY NORMAN FOSTER, IN NÎMES.

DESIGN CONVERGES EVERYWHERE.

THE AVENUE FEUCHÈRES IN NÎMES. SUDdeFrance - 85 -

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ACTIVITIES CRAFTS

Genius at theirfingertips Crafts are the essence of a region, its heritage and its identity. In this domain, Languedoc-Roussillon is rich with tradition.

his heritage is a living thing. Crafts, whose history and origins are lost in the dimness of past centuries, ensure memory and continuity. Whether reproducing millennial gestures, like the wooden forks of Sauve, or creating new interpretations, like the jewellery designed with Catalan garnet, these skills are part of the region’s charm. In many villages of Capcir, the Cévennes, or the valleys of Aude, these crafts live on and are practiced increasingly by young and dynamic artisans who love to explain and share their passion.

Some crafts have even developed into activities of high quality, contributing significantly to the celebrity of their home towns. This is the case for the art glass workers of Claret, the luthiers and bow-makers of Montpellier, and the potters of Anduze. Sometimes, as with vigatanes (Catalan sandals) or the textiles of Toiles du Soleil, craftsmen have been able to successfully revive an activity that had come close to disappearing.

A hayfork museum in Sauve The very charming village of Sauve (Gard) had a secret, that was jealously guarded for ten centuries: fabrication of the three-pronged hayfork made from the hackberry tree. Eight years ago the village set up a museum where this ancestral tradition is now on display. Visitors can wander through the galleries and rooms, and find information on the terminals and wall illustrations. They can delve into the secrets of how the trees are cultivated and the way the hayforks are made. The museum carries on the tradition with a workshop producing hackberry wood hayforks, still sold to livestock breeders and farmers. They are popular items of decoration for a rustic effect and are also used by professionals in recreating historical scenes. We can already tell you that the hayforks are baked in an oven. A cherry and hayfork festival is held in the village every year at the end of May. Conservatoire de la fourche, rue des Boisseliers à Sauve. Tél. 00 33 (0)4 66 80 54 46. www.lafourchesauve.com

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ACTIVITIES CRAFTS

In an old barn behind the Église de Bouleternère, you hear ringing metal and a few muffled voices. Welcome to the knife-making workshop of Morian Theuns and Aurélie Marquès.

InBouleternère, knife-makersdefy time

ehind a wooden porch is a cheerful young man and his companion, busy sculpting bars of metal. The space is austere, dark, the atmosphere studious. It is hard to imagine these two young lovers shut up all day between old stone and brick walls. Besides the traditional series offered all year round, such as Ovalie, Xapa, and Patufet, Morian and Aurélie excel in creating one-of-a-kind pieces, commissioned two years in advance. “Our work may seem out of touch with the pace of today’s world. It is true that aside from the sound of tools and the wind whistling under the door, it’s as quiet as a monastery here.” You have the distinct impression that time has stopped for them, in this village at the foot of the Aspres that rear up between the plain of Roussillon and the Conflent.

«Productivity and speed are the antithesis of what we do here» “We are two unbending craftspeople of yesteryear: our goal is the beautiful, the unique, the knife that will belong to one person alone. And that takes time. We may spend five days making a single knife”, Morian and Aurélie tell you. Over the workbench, their

gestures are expansive, their strokes precise and light. “I’ve just finished forging my first blade from Canigou ore! This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time: make a knife entirely out of smelted steel from the ore of the most famous character in the Pays Catalan.” To make this steel, he had to get raw “rock” from abandoned mines near Sahorre and Balatg, build an earthenware kiln, prepare the coal, and produce the sponge iron, the future metal that would be laminated, refined, and at last forged to obtain a most symbolic steel. “It will be all in steel, a single piece from point to handle, and I will give it an extremely pure, very modern line, to connect with the past”, Morian explains. Using local materials is the soul of Bouleternère’s art cutlery. This is true also in the choice of wood for the handle, selected by Aurélie, a trained woodworker. She gives the knife its soul: juniper, olive, pistachio wood; fern roots, boxwood, strawberry tree, walnut, green oak. “The wood's essence changes the character of the knife. It begins with fragrance, because each wood has its own special smell”, SUDdeFrance - 87 -

Aurélie says. She is one of the few women in France to follow this profession. But often a single wood essence is enough. A certain knot on a vein creates its own unique design. Nature’s patterns are infinite, like the inspiration of these two great talents of knife-making.

Coutellerie d’Art, 8 bis, carrer Michel de Pontich. Tel. 00 33 (0)4 68 73 81

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ACTIVITIES NATURE

Abreathoffreshair! VERDOUBLE, NEAR PEYREPERTUSE.

With its extraordinary number of sunny days (more than 300 a year), Languedoc-Roussillon is a land that makes it a pleasure to be outdoors.

ou may stroll on the beach or opt for a more energetic holiday – it’s up to you. On or under terra firma, on the water, or in the air, the possibilities are almost limitless. Fans of farniente have 220 kilometres of sandy beaches on which to spread their towels. The La Franqui and Carnon coasts are famous for their windsurfing and kite surfing. Sailors will appreciate that twenty of the region’s recreational harbours bear the “Pavillon Bleue” label, a guarantee of water quality and respect of the environment. Sensation-lovers will thrill to Lézignan’s new FlyZone, where they can simulate free fall, or take a balloon trip high over Uzès. Families can explore new worlds in the Gévaudan Wolf Park or Sigean’s African Reserve, or get lost in the labyrinth at Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone. There’s no way to be bored in Languedoc-Roussillon!

Caves and walks of all types and for all tastes Six feet underground, the region - riddled with caves and potholes has the biggest underground network in the country. Fifteen of these sites, with their strange forms, narrow galleries and vast underground chambers, are open to the public. These remarkable caves contain stalagmite scenes, like the hundred thousand soldiers in the Trabuc caves or the Virgin and Child in the Demoiselles caves. In the Labeil cavern an underground water course springs up, while the Armand and Dargilan sites, in the heart of Lozère, hold ancient treasures. Close by, the Trabuc cave - at the entry to Anduze - is a must, while the Cocalière - at the fringes of Gard - is one of the three most beautiful caves in France. Next to Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Clamouse - the cave classified as a “picturesque scientific site” is the scene of a sound and light show that lasting the whole season, while Les Canalettes and Fontrabiouse offer the spectacle of timeless subterranean galleries. In the open air, hikes in the region follow mythical trails, from Saint James Way to the trail of the writer, Robert Louis Stevenson, from Aubrac and the Cévennes to Canigou and the Mediterranean. Near Montpellier, don’t miss the dolmens and standing stones of the massif of Hortus. Riding stables and centres are dotted around the region, including La Goutarende, the riding village in the Aude, not far from Carcassonne. Comité Régional de la Randonnée Pédestre L.R. Parc Club du Millénaire - Bât. 31 1025, avenue Henri-Becquerel, Montpellier. Tél. 00 33 (0)9 72 19 52 86 SUDdeFrance - 88 -

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ACTIVITIES NATURE

Themountaininsummer, aprivilege tobesavoured The green trails – 100% nature MOUNTAIN BIKING IN LES ANGLES.

The winter sports stations don’t just close their doors when spring arrives. They swap their white winter drapes for a carpet of green and their skis and snow shoes for walking boots, mountain bikes or even donkeys!

ountain stations offer a multitude of outdoor activities for you to enjoy in an environment that’s bursting with energy and floral life! One of these stations is the BolquèrePyrénées 2000, set in the heart of the Catalan Pyrenees Regional Nature Park, with its lakeside trails. Les Bouillouses (pictured above right) or the Matemale, encircled by the mountain peaks and offering not only a stunning panoramic view, but also the chance to meet some of the local wildlife - chamois, wood grouse, mountain sheep, marmots and vultures, as well as try your hand at paragliding, canyoning or rafting in the limpid waters of the Canigou mountain and where you will discover some of the best Catalan canyons.

Not far from the Mediterranean beaches, the Espace Cambre d’Aze is the chance to practice some more restful activities – fishing, caving or taking a dip in the thermal spas of Llo or Saint Thomas. The Belcaire lake at the Camurac station in the Aude is perfect for a dip and the Pays de Sault is criss-crossed with mountain bike trails and foot paths; offering the chance to discover the majestic forests and the spectacular, wild gorges of Rébenty. Or perhaps you would prefer exploring some of the many Visigoth castles before taking the Cathar Way, which runs through the Pays de Sault, from Belvis to Comus - passing through the Picaussel forest. In the Cévennes, the Bleymard Mont-Lozère station is an ideal place to pick up the route taken by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1878 when he travelled almost 252 kilometres with his donkey, Modestine. Donkey hire and guided walks are available on this “grande randonnée” trail (GR70) which goes across the peaks of Mount Lozére, the Gévaudan and the Cévennes valleys – you can also follow the route in stages, on pony back or on foot. Thermal spas offer a moment to relax and absorb the benefits of pure mountain water and the local cuisine is full of local specialities to delight your taste buds – these are just two of the reasons why your visit is sure to be memorable. SUDdeFrance - 89 -

Winding their way through the region, the extent of this trail network continues to grow - a haven for mountain bikers, roller skaters and other non-motorised travellers. They provide safe access to beaches; bordering the lake (Lez Green Route, Montpellierla-mer, 6 km.), running along the canal, beneath the shade of the plane trees (from Béziers to Portiragnes, 15 km.). Some of these border the waterways; Narbonne’s route in Saint-Pierre-la-Mer (29 km.) runs along its canals - in particular the chemin de halage of the Midi canal – and the lake at Gruissan, and the Carnon route at La Grande-Motte (6km) leads to the beaches. Away from the coast, these routes travel through orchards and vineyards offering visitors the chance to discover the marshy plains of the Petite Camargue (from Vauver to Gallician, 7 km) – or to take in some of the charming villages (along the 14 km Agly route) presided over by the Canigou mountain. The longest route, the “Passa Païs” in the Haute-Languedoc, constitutes 59 kilometres of a disused railway track. In the Hérault, it winds through the Jaur valley which runs along the feet of the Somail and the Espinouse mountains. In the heart of the Garrigue, amongst green oaks, holm oaks, rock roses and white heather - or through shady forests, chestnut woods and vineyards - it marches as far as Mons-la-Trivalle, crossing the Eiffel bridge, after a not-to-be-missed visit to Olargues; a mediaeval town famous for being one of the most beautiful in France. Its route crosses the Haut-Languedoc regional nature park, taking you to a number of tourist sites: The Devèze cave, the Prehistoric Museum in Saint-Pons-de-Thomières, the house and church of the Knights Hospitallers in Saint-Vincent d’Olargues, to name a few.

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ACTIVITIES NATURE

Rafting,canyoning,orcanoeingeveryoneintothewater! Those who are hooked on aquatic sports can choose from a whole maze of lakes, rivers and torrents in the region: canoeing and kayaking, rafting or canyoning... just pick your paddle!

he idealized image of Languedoc-Roussillon is the Tarn Gorges. The long turquoise ribbon cutting its way through the limestone, with the occasional real canyon, is the summer spot for cooling down. Canoe trekking has long been the most popular activity. But there are other sites where you can practise whitewater sports: the hinterland is full of rivers and mountain streams, and almost everywhere the water has hollowed out its course in the limestone plateaux or plains. Families will look for the refreshing calm of high mountain lakes, like the well-known Villeneuve-de-la-Raho or Bouillouses in the Eastern Pyrenees, Naussac in Lozère or the artificial lake of Salagou in Hérault. Others may prefer the cool of the river: the Gardon near Uzès, meandering peacefully beneath the arches of the Pont du Gard. Or the Hérault Gorges from Ganges (Gard) to SaintGuilhem-le-Désert (Hérault): the Hérault river is a paradise for canoes, floating along in the green water past the rocks - dense Jurassic limestone rocks, where swimmers stretch out in the sun. But those who want more thrilling sensations will leave aside the “cushy” version in favour of a descent in turbulent waters: but be careful, certain very fast-flowing rivers are only accessible to experienced or supervised sportsmen! The mixed canyoning technique, a combination of potholing, diving and climbing to follow the course of the stream is a popular new sport. But there are also possibilities for rafting, hydrospeed or whitewater swimming in these mountain torrents. While Lozère,

CANOE IN THE GORGES DU TARN. often called “the water tower” of France, has several well-known rivers (the Tarn, the Lot, the Allier) each department is an interesting destination. In Gard, the navigable routes are concentrated around the Cèze, the Vidourle and the Gardon. In Hérault, the Hérault and Orb rivers are very popular destinations. The diversity of the river Aude offers sportsmen several stretches of river depending on the flow rate and the degree of difficulty one is looking for, whereas in the Eastern Pyrenees, sports activities focus on two coastal rivers, the Tech and the Tet. Moreover, the Llech Gorges in this department are ideal for rafting. In most cases, you can hire a boat and set off alone, although canyoning and rafting are sports that are practised in a group, or accompanied by a qualified mountain river guide. SUDdeFrance - 90 -

Several excursion guides have been published by the departmental canoeing-kayaking committees: the overall level of difficulty and the levels of the most difficult passages are systematically shown for each river. Renseignements auprès du Comité Régional de Canoë-Kayak du Languedoc-Roussillon Tél. 00 33 (0)4 67 82 16

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ACTIVITIES NATURE With its 25 recreational harbours and many scuba diving facilities to explore the rich undersea environment, the region is totally dedicated to the Mediterranean.

Asea toexplore above andbelow! SAILING COURSE OFF LA GRANDE-MOTTE.

he Mediterranean and the Gulf of Lion bathe LanguedocRoussillon and offer a vast ‘playing field’ for sailors. Changing winds, sunshine the year round, warm water in

summer, Languedoc-Roussillon is sailing country, with 25 recreational harbours and 22,000 mooring spots, including Port-Camargue, the largest in Europe. Sailboat and motorboat rental, with or with-

When the wind blows... They’re a signature of our beaches: the multicoloured wings of kite surfers. The origin of the sport is difficult to determine, but the first prototypes emerged from the water in this region around 1996. Now France has 50,000 enthusiasts, of whom about 5,000 enjoy their pastime on our beaches. Their favourite spots are the magnificent beach at Espiguette, Port-Camargue, Carnon, Palavas,Aresquiers, Cap d’Agde, and Sète, together with La Franqui a little farther on. The only restriction on this practice is the arrival of bathers in the summer. But for the past few years there have been zones specifically set aside for kite surfing:Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone, Espiguette, and marked zones from Grand Travers (La Grande-Motte) to Saint-Cyprien in the Pyrénées-Orientales.

KITE SURFING AT LA FRANQUI.

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out skipper, harbour facilities adapted to pleasure craft, tourist activities available at ports of call, organised races in summer and winter, boat shows, national and international sporting events, the presence of great navigators -- so many assets make Languedoc-Roussillon a seafarers’ land. You can go scuba diving in search of sea bass, mullet, cuttlefish, octopus, lobster, or seahorses, with the thousands of other species populating the depths. The Côte Vermeille -- especially with the Banyuls-Cerbère marine reserve – is well known to divers, but there are other sites to explore: the rocky strip of La Grande-Motte, the stretches off Espiguette, or the Tables off Cap d’Agde. Introduction to diving or exploration, there’s something for everyone on this ‘Mare Nostrum’, as the Romans called it.

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ACTIVITIES NATURE

Golfcourses forprosandamateurs With around twenty regional league golf courses, the Languedoc-Roussillon has much to offer for both amateurs and professionals of this sport.

riginating in Scotland, this increasingly popular game will be included in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Practised by those who enjoy outdoor activities and contact with nature, its rules and techniques require discipline, concentration and relaxation. Although the game itself is played on a well-defined terrain, its surrounding environment is of huge importance. A 6 to 8 kilometre walk around the fairways, in a magical setting – in good weather, certainly makes all the difference. In addition to these basic conditions which go to make the game so enjoyable, no two golf courses are the same...

At Carcassonne, for example, situated at the feet of the mediaeval city, you can take in a panoramic view of the Pyrenees and the Black Mountain; and play one of the most original holes in Europe (the number 9). Designed by the architects Morandi & Harradine, the Nîmes Campagne course is reputed for the difficulty of its greens and narrow fairways which are lined by a variety of trees. Cap d’Agde golf is a demanding course which winds along the shoreline; through olive trees, palm trees and umbrella pines. In the Cévennes of Lozére, not far from the Tarn and Aubrac gorges, the Canourgue golf course is set in a hilly, wooded landscape – its many slopes and narrow fairways ensure a game that will challenge your technique.

DOMAINE DE BARRES (LANGOGNE)

LOZÈRE

LA GARDE-GUÉRIN (VILLEFORT)

LE SABOT (LA CANOURGUE)

ALÈS RIBAUTE

GARD

UZÈS

NÎMES CAMPAGNE NÎMES VACQUEROLLE

HÉRAULT FONTCAUDE JUVIGNAC (MONTPELLIER) LAMALOU-LES-BAINS

COULONDRES (SAINT-GÉLY-DU-FESC) MASSANE (MONTPELLIER) LA GRANDE-MOTTE

SAINT-THOMAS (BÉZIERS) LE CAP D'AGDE CARCASSONNE

AUDE

NARBONNE SAINTE ROSE

MONTESCOT (PERPIGNAN) FONT-ROMEU

PYRÉNÉESORIENTALES

FALGOS (ST-LAURENT-DE-CERDANS)

SAINT-CYPRIEN

• Carcassonne. 18 holes - par 71 5 758 m.Tél. 06.13.20.85.43 www.golf-de-carcassonne.com • Narbonne Sainte Rose. Training centre and golf course “Pitch & Putt” with 18 holes - 1 200 m. Tél. 04.68.27.37.99 www.golfsterosenarbonne.com • Nîmes Campagne. 6 135 m 18 holes - par 72.Tél. 04.66.70.17.37 www.golfnimescampagne.com • Golf de Nîmes Vacquerolle 18 holes - par 72 - 6 185 m Tél. 04.66.23.33.33 www.golf-nimes.com/ • Cap d'Agde. 18 holes - par 72 6 279 m.Tél. 04.67.26.54.40 www.golf.ville-agde.fr/ • Coulondres (Saint-Gély-du-Fesc). 18 holes - par 73 - 6 149 m Tél. 04.67.84.13.75 www.coulondres.com • Fontcaude. 18 holes - par 6 250 m. Tél. 04.67.45.90.10. www.golfhotelmontpellier.com • La Grande-Motte. 18 holes - par 72 6 200 m et 18 holes - par 58 - 3 200 m. Tél. 04.67.56.05.00 www.lagrandemotte.fr/ • Montpellier. Massane. 18 holes par 72 - 6 081 m.Tél. 04.67.87.87.87 www.massane.com • Saint-Thomas (Béziers). 18 holes par 72 - 6 131 m.Tél. 04.67.39.03.09 www.golfsaintthomas.com SUDdeFrance - 92 -

At Font-Romeu it’s impossible to swing with your feet flat on the ground! This course offers some original golfing in a picture postcard setting – the peaks of the Pyrenees under a blue Mediterranean sky. Or there is the Domaine de Falgos - also in the Eastern Pyrenees. It is amongst the most beautiful courses and you will discover some breathtaking scenery and a challenging game. The diverse mixture of our courses - those along the shoreline, the Lozére landscapes or those at high altitude in the Pyrenees - attracts an increasing number of enthusiasts each year from both France and abroad. • Le Sabot-La Canourgue. 18 holes par 71 - 5 452 m.Tél. 04.66.32.84.17 www.golf-desgorgesdutarn.com/ • Falgos Golf Resort (St-Laurentde-Cerdans) 18 holes - par 70 - 5 177 m Tél. 04.68.39.51.42. www.falgos.fr • Saint-Cyprien. 18 holes - par 73 6 475 m.Tél. 04.68.37.63.63. www.saintcyprien-golfresort.com • Alès Ribaute. 6 holes - par 19 1 000 m.Tél. 06.08.24.24.10 www.golg-ales-ribaute.fr • Uzès. 9 holes - par 36, 2 955 m. Tél. 04.66.22.40.03 www.golfuzes.fr • Lamalou-les-Bains. Golf de 9 holes - par 35 2 600 m.Tél. 04.67.95.08.47 www.golf-lamalou-les-bains.com • Domaine de Barres (Langogne). Golf 9 holes - par 36 - 2 700 m. Tél. 04.66.46.08.37 www.domainedebarres.com/ • La Garde-Guérin (Villefort) 9 holes - par 32 - 1 864 m. Tél. 04.66.46.91.90 • Font-Romeu. 9 holes - par 36 2 517 m.Tél. 04.68.30.10.78. www.golf-font-romeu.fr • Montescot (Perpignan) 9 holes par 36 - 3 027 m.Tél. 04.68.82.79.29 www.golfclubdemontescot.com/ Ligue de Golf du Languedoc-Roussillon. Tél. 04.66.68.22.62 www.liguegolflanguedocroussillon.org

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ACTIVITIES BIEN-ÊTRE

Spaandmassages forarelaxing break In a complicated world, taking care of yourself has become a necessity. Between Perpignan and Nîmes, there are a large number of top class establishments offering the chance to get away and pamper yourself.

“O

ur philosophy is to offer a holiday for your skin and for your body; by applying the ancient beauty rituals and an approach to life inherited from the Asian dynasties», explains Anna Koleva, creator of the highly elegant spa “Sensotek” in Montpellier. At her spa institute, treatments are based primarily on energising plants and roots from Asia and stimulating plants from the Amazon as well as Kombucha - which is fermented as a tea and is a potent antioxidant. The natural products used even form the basis of a range of cosmetics. A place for total relaxation. Other spas offer rituals based on clay, algae, muds, shea butter, honey, argan oil or even plant powders. The range of treatments on offer is impressive. The therapeutic properties of these products and essential oils, allied with true expertise, offer a whole new world of wellbeing to visitors. Whether they offer swim spas, Jacuzzis or saunas – these centres are devoted to the pursuit of well-being; using both traditional massages and shiatsu techniques, reflexology or ayurvedic massages based on the principles of traditional Indian philosophy.

Staying with the exotic ... you can also enjoy a spot of pampering at a Haman. The famous Bain d’épices in Montpellier offers women the chance to try out the ancient ritual of beauty and relaxation and enjoy a glass of

spicy mint tea in a smart, unusual setting. Whether you are looking for a little calm or a shot of energy - help to relax, lose weight or just get fit – this is where well-being is within the reach of all!

Spas galore! The Languedoc-Roussillon boasts no fewer than 12 spas.A wide selection to choose from for the ultimate in wellness. In the last ten years, conventional spa health treatments have taken on an added dimension of wellness and relaxation. Massage rooms, beauty treatments, clay baths, whirlpools and saunas have all emerged to meet the expectations of a new clientèle in search of comfort and pleasant sensations, all the while surrounded by magical countryside! Now each year sees nearly 90,000 patients attend the region's spas. In the Pyrénées-Orientales between Céret and Arles-sur-Tech, 30 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, the hot springs of Amélie-lesBains are famous for their rich sulphur content.The Romans built the first baths there.And these thermal spas built on the sites of those ancient baths now offer you a world of total relaxation before heading out to conquer the peaks of the Albères or the Canigou. A stone's throw from Spain, Le Boulou is the perfect blend of spa and tourist resort. The complex is part of a vast area dominated by the fragrant plants of the scrubland, ideal for long and reinvigorating walks after your relaxation treatment. In Molitg-les-Bains, near Prades, the baths nestle in the hollow of the Castellane Gorges at the foot of the medieval fortress of Paracolls, near the old village.With its weightless mud baths and kneading showers, the thermal spa promises no end of pummelling delights! The resort of Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste offers an opportunity to combine hydrotherapy and nature with an exploration of Catalan art. Here in the old village, whose walls are steeped in history, the combined benefits of warm water (44 ° C) and sulphur are guaranteed to help you forget your fatigue and nagging pains. At 310 metres in the Upper Aude Valley, the resort of Rennes-les-Bains has been devoted to spa treatments since ancient times. Its traditional services have recently been boosted with a fitness suite and a beauty centre – an ideal combination with the pleasures of exploring the Aude countryside. In Hérault, Balaruc, Lamalou-les-Bains and Avène-les-Bains all offer a chance to try out this new spa approach, not to mention Allègre-les-Fumades in the Cévennes or La Chaldette in Lozère. What's more, these spas are joined by the many thalassotherapy centres in La Grande-Motte, Banyuls, Port-Barcarès, Canet-en-Roussillon... www.thalasso-thermale.com SUDdeFrance - 93 -

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ACTIVITIES ENCHANTING ACCOMMODATIONS

From picturesque hotels to refined holiday homes, with off-the-beaten track locations and a warm, attentive welcome, accommodation quality makes every guest a special guest.

Amade-to-measureholiday

lassic or luxurious, Languedoc-Roussillon’s accommodations are beyond cavil. With a vast and varied territory including both the shore of the Gulf of Lion and the green valleys inland, Languedoc-Roussillon has countless superb sites representing local art de vivre. Here, there's no need to look elsewhere.

Above all, accommodations are extremely varied. A stay in a holiday gîte will delight visitors

who want a family atmosphere in a traditional cottage or outbuilding, tastefully decorated by its hosts, privileged ambassadors of the terroir. By the sea, vacation villages or hotels with all the conveniences are an ideal solution for enjoying both the beach and modern facilities like a pool, spa, and gym. Guaranteed by the ‘Qualité Sud de France’ label, these establishments let you drop your suitcase and enjoy a carefree holiday in the region.

On the other hand, over fifty establishments selected for their exceptional features form the Cercle Prestige, established by Sud de France Développement for luxury tourism. There are a constellation of possibilities: a country escape to an authentic bastide manor, a mystical night on the grounds of a Benedictine monastery, an evening under the stars in the restaurant of a Catalan golf club, gourmet tasting in a winery domaine, and more. The quintessence of refinement, satisfying every desire for novelty, discovery, sensation.

Trust Qualité Sud de France for your accommodation This label, established in 2008, guarantees a warm and professional welcome, quality, and comfort in more than 800 Languedoc-Roussillon establishments and tourist sites.

mobility clients, and will provide clear, thorough information on cultural and recreational activities in Languedoc-Roussillon.

Accommodations, restaurants, wine-tastings, sale outlets for local products, tourist and cultural sites, all are committed to rigorous standards and pass an external audit before the label is awarded. They are capable of welcoming English-speaking and reduced-

For more information, scan this QR code with your Smartphone or connect directly to: www.destinationsuddefrance.com/séjours SUDdeFrance - 94 -

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ACTIVITIES THE BRAND

“SuddeFrance”,

theumbrellabrandofquality

t was in 2006 that the Région Languedoc-Roussillon conceived of an umbrella brand identifying the products of the region. Covering both wine - Languedoc-Roussillon is the world’s largest vine-growing area - and food, the “Sud de France” label identifies flavourful and varied products of character. Famous for the diversity of its terroir products, Languedoc-Roussillon showcases a genuine art de vivre including apricots, olives, strawberries, asparagus, onions, aubergines, beef, veal, pélardon goat cheese, nougat, chestnut preserves, honey, anchovies, and more. Today, nearly 2,000 businesses live up to this label. That makes around 8,000 products displaying their commitment to a region and its savoir-faire. “Sud de France” is committed to this way of production, largely inspired by the themes of sustainable development. “Sud de France” is a Mediterranean approach, offering consumers traditional products infused with original flavours. It expresses the intention of perpetuating the Languedoc-Roussillon identity through the excellence of its products, the richness of its history, the force of its natural environment, and the conviviality of the people who work it. All these products are distributed by national brands and benefit from regular promotion campaigns in France and abroad. www.sud-de-france.com

The strength of a brand Eight years after its creation, the ‘Sud de France’ brand is an example for other regions that want to identify the production of their territory. Let us not forget that a brand must meet several needs.

elements of consideration' for the buyer. A well-known brand makes it easier for a product to be added to sales outlets. Then consumers are able to see it, recognize it, and buy it.

First, it must be memorable: not only consumers, but also distributors, must know the brand and think of it when they make a choice. Specialists speak of ‘inclusion among

In addition, besides making the product known, a brand must add image and meaning to the product. It must associate it with strong, positive, valued beliefs, such as qualSUDdeFrance - 95 -

ity, practicality, reliability, taste, pleasure, aspiration, conviviality... Languedoc-Roussillon is a geographic zone associated with certain values, among them authenticity. And it is this authenticity, together with other regional values, that give meaning and strength to this brand, which has won the recognition of the public.

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What toknowbeforeyougo Contacts for further information

Sud de France Développement Tourisme en Languedoc-Roussillon Tél. + 33 (0)4 67 200 220

www.destinationsuddefrance.com Comité départemental du tourisme de l’Aude www.audetourisme.com

Comité départemental du tourisme du Gard www.tourismegard.com

Comité départemental du tourisme de l’Hérault www.herault-tourisme.com

Comité départemental du tourisme de la Lozère www.lozere-tourisme.com

Comité départemental du tourisme des Pyrénées-Orientales www.tourisme-pyreneesorientales.com

Maisons du Languedoc-Roussillon abroad www.suddefrance-developpement.com

How to get there

Located in the south of France on the Mediterranean coast, Languedoc-Roussillon is three and a half hours by TGV from Paris, one and a half hours' flight from London, and two hours’ drive from Barcelona. By air FROM FRANCE: Direct flights from Paris (to Béziers, Perpignan, Montpellier), from Rennes (to Montpellier), from Nantes (to Montpellier), from Lyon (to Montpellier), from Ajaccio (to Montpellier). FROM BELGIUM: Direct flights from Brussels (to Carcassonne, Perpignan, Nîmes, Montpellier). FROM BRITAIN Direct flights from London (to Perpignan, Béziers, Montpellier, Nîmes), from Manchester

(to Perpignan), from Bristol (to Béziers), from Leeds Bradford (to Montpellier), and from Liverpool (to Nîmes). FROM SPAIN Direct flights from Madrid. Visit the websites of the Nîmes airport (www.nimes-aeroport.fr), the Montpellier airport (www.montpellier.aeroport.fr), the Béziers airport (www.beziers.aeroport.fr), the Perpignan airport (www.aeroport-perpignan.com) and the Carcassonne airport (www.aeroport-carcassonne.com) and the Girona airport in Spain (www.barcelona-girona-airport.com)

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By train Direct TGV from Geneva and Brussels. - SNCF reservations: daily TGV connections between Paris, Lille, and Lyon and the principal cities in Languedoc-Roussillon. TGV from Brussels. Connections from Barcelona Sants to Perpignan. Information on www.voyages-sncf.com - TER connections: www.ter-sncf.com/Regions/languedoc_roussillon/fr (in French only) - Information on Montpellier, Narbonne, Nîmes, and Perpignan stations: www.gares-en-mouvement.com/en By car - A 61 Toulouse - Narbonne - A 75 Montpellier - Clermont-Ferrand - Paris - A 9 Barcelona (Spain) - Montpellier - Lyon - A 54 Montpellier - Marseille

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