Le Var, de Saint-Tropez aux Gorges du Verdon – Les 100 Lieux qu’il faut voir – Documentaire – MG

Le Var, de Saint-Tropez aux Gorges du Verdon – Les 100 Lieux qu’il faut voir – Documentaire – MG

Do you like France? Do you like to explore it,
discover it, and meet it? Sometimes you even
feel like you know her well. We all have a small beach,
a small cove, a clearing, a hamlet or a path
that belongs only to us, far from the beaten track and that we
only want to share with those we love. This is the France we want
you to discover through 100 places that you absolutely must see in your lifetime. Today we are taking you to the heart of an incredibly green and azure Provence. A journey to the south-east of France,
from the Var to the imposing Gorges du Verdon, where enchanting landscapes
between land and sea await you, made of tradition and sought-after authenticity. You will first stop
in the legendary town of Saint-Tropez, to discover the surprising history
of this small fishing port, far from the clichés that
stick to it today. You will then explore the exceptional
surroundings of the Varois abbey, which will take you from the road of these
picturesque hilltop villages to the tranquility of Thornet Abbey,
nestled in the heart of the forest. Finally, it is along the water that you
will discover the discreet Gorges de Baudinard, little sisters of the Gorges
du Verdon, with their stunning beauty which contains many geological secrets. A multifaceted territory
that you explore in the company of colorful personalities,
in love with their heritage and as generous as their region. We begin our journey through the Gulf of Saint-Tropez
. An air of contrast where
postcard settings that bloom well with Provence follow one another,
the Gulf of Saint-Tropez offers to the curious who know how to get off the beaten track,
wooded and wild reliefs that blend perfectly with the small
turquoise coves of the Coast. Not forgetting the undeniable charm of these
small villages where it is pleasant to stroll in the squares. So many assets that make
thousands of tourists dream every year. An extraordinary territory that André, a
local boy, knows like the back of his hand. It is therefore quite natural that this
restaurateur, who loves his region, will be our guide. Well, the Saint-Tropez golf course
is my roots. Even though I’ve sailed quite a
bit in my life, I realize that there’s nothing more beautiful than here. There’s the hill, there’s the hill, there’s
the sea, there’s the village, there’s everything you need to have
a good life, if I can say so. André is as happy as a cock in pastry as he
leads us to his first destination in one of the
most famous cities in the world. Easily recognizable,
with its bell tower in ochre and Rangaine earth colors, Saint-Tropez is the must-see of the gulf. When we think of Saint-Tropez,
it’s often the same Rangaine. It’s hard to break away from the image
of Épinal, of this city made legendary by Brigitte Bardot,
where clichés die hard. Far from its usual stereotypes,
there is still a Saint-Tropez with a secret history and authentic soul
that André wants to share with us today. To discover the other side of this
star city, he can trust Laurent. Hello my dear.
How are you, André? Well, how are you?
Good morning. Curator of the
Saint-Tropez Citadel Museum, he knows the history of the city like the back of his hand. Why did you ask me to meet here,
at this world-famous port? So because it is one of the oldest
ports on the coast, and one of the oldest in the Var department. Because today,
there are ports everywhere. But you have to say that in the 16th and 17th arrondissements,
there are very few ports. There is Antibes, which is the border area,
with the kingdom of Savoy. There is Saint-Tropez, with a developed port. Oh yeah, okay.
Fitted out, fitted out. And then there is Toulon, the Arsenal,
under construction and becoming. In between there is a lot of anchorage,
but natural harbors. A vital port that will
transform the future of the village. To understand its full importance, you
have to climb to the top of the Port-à-Lait tower. Well, Lorànt, we’re
finally reaching the height of the port. Why in the 15th century,
would we build a port like that, when everyone was trying
to hide in the hills, what? No, you’re right. In fact, it’s a
bold gamble at the start. It is indeed in the Middle Ages,
with all the dangers that there are, of war, famine, etc. The villages are inside. But there is a bold project
by Baron de Grimaud, who owns almost all the lands in the gulf
, and who wants to create a bastion, that is to say a fortified place
to protect the lands in the gulf. There is piracy at sea,
so the danger is recurrent. So here, we are building a port to create
a commercial activity which starts with the cultivation of vines
and therefore the sale of wine. And with all the financial resources,
wine, but also other products, we will be able to build fortifications
and defend the gulf. What is interesting
is that Paris, as I said, which is audacious, works. The city grew and when we started
around 1470, the year of the Renaissance, we started with around a hundred
inhabitants. And a century later,
there are almost 4,000 of them. That’s why the gulf,
which was previously called the Gulf of Grimau, will later be called the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. It is the city that becomes the most
important. Saint-Tropez’s maritime activity
also continues to grow. In the 18th century, with the end of
the East India Company’s monopoly, many people from Saint-Tropez traded
across the world’s seas and set off for years of adventure. We must then imagine,
in the absence of these captains, a city with an organization and character that was
very surprising for the time. You have to imagine that in the 18th century,
and I’m going to exaggerate very deliberately, it was a city of women.
For what ? Because simply, 6 to 7 men out of 10
had maritime protection. They’re at sea.
They’re at sea. So they’re leaving for a few days,
a few weeks, or even a few years. So there were only women,
children and old people left. That’s it, absolutely. And since this population is
essentially female and men are not there,
before the man goes to sea, he goes to the notary to sign
a power of attorney, whether it is a specific or general power of attorney. In general, this means that the wife can
do everything: buy, sell, do business, sue. And in the archives,
we come across nuggets. We know, for example,
that there are women who have sued captains who had
seen it all, who had fought at sea, against corsairs, pirates, etc. And it gives a completely
different image, forgotten and which was a reality. To end their walk, Lorànt will show André
another forgotten image of Saint-Tropez
. A final historical secret revealed
in a private, unexpected location, right in the city center, and whose
doors Lorànt exceptionally opens to us. Come on, Andrew. So there? Come into my secret garden. There, we can still talk about
privileges, for Saint-Tropez. We are between the port and Place des Lys. In the third space,
what the people of Saint-Tropez have created. We saw the old town,
by the sea, the port which is the second space for boats. And then, a third one that creates
a series of non-pleasure gardens. To feed people. Indeed, we found
fruits and vegetables. Poultry too.
Poultry, pigs, etc. Who were here, because it was
still secure, it was enclosed by walls. So if there were all these gardens with
chickens, rabbits, pigs. The pigs too, there had to
be water. Yes, and this is the great secret wealth
of Saint-Tropez, there is water everywhere. In fact, there are even houses right on the
water, three meters from the beach, with clear water
in August and cool. And so, in these gardens,
there are always either fountains, coming from springs, or rain. This is why we can talk
about a secret garden in Saint-Tropez. Absolutely. We are here between the port
and the Place des Lys. That is to say, in the hubbub
of summer, we don’t suspect that there are havens of peace like this one.
It’s extraordinary. Thank you very much, Lorànt.
It was a pleasure, and we will see each other again. I will continue my tour.
Thank you Lorànt. While the Lorànt garden contains many
treasures, just 20 km from Saint-Tropez, there is
another unique Eden that should not be missed under any circumstances. At the foot of the Mors massif,
the Rayol estate, classified as a remarkable garden,
offers, with its thousands of species from all over the world, an astonishing journey
through the countries of the globe. An exotic, exceptional paradise,
which André absolutely wants us to discover in the company of his friend Alain. The famous eucalyptus trees. Look, you even have a water line there. Yeah, that’s beautiful. There were some in Africa, you see that? Head gardener,
Alain knows everything about the little and big stories of these plants. Starting with the arid cacti
of Mexico, species that never fail to pique André’s curiosity. So, tell me a little about what we
call the famous mother-in-law’s cushion. Ah, the famous mother-in-law’s cushion. It’s an equinocactus,
it’s a real cactus. Equinocactus.
Equinocactus grusoni. The advantage of the mother-in-law’s cushion
is that when it’s dry, it dries a bit like an accordion,
it shrinks. And right now,
he’s going to take on water. Pamplona has the reserve. Pamplona, ​​he will swell the reserve. So you can have
volume changes of more than 50 percent. Do you know why it’s
called a mother-in-law’s cushion? You see,
it looks a little bit like a cushion. Hey, Grandma, you could sit there. These mother-in-law cushions coexist
without any difficulty with the Provençal scrubland, the Chinese bamboos or even
the New Zealand tree ferns. An incredible shared accommodation thanks
to the ideal transitional temperatures offered by the Var climate, which will
immerse you in no time in the heart of the Australian kwan gan,
the equivalent of our scrubland. What’s that one’s name again?
I remember it. That ‘s the braquiqueton. There we arrive in the kongan, you see. There you will find an astonishing
pyrophyte plant whose fire stimulates the production of flowers. Here, I wanted to show you the… The famous black boy. The famous black boy
who blossomed this year. So you see it, it’s a tree,
we can see that there was a fire. You see, there are black marks on it,
because this tree was born in Australia. And at the same time,
it is a plant that needs fire. That is to say that when you have the passage
of fire, the thermal shock causes flowering.
And it comes out very, very quickly. In two weeks,
you have this flower ramp coming out. When it was in bloom,
it was really a whole string of insects buzzing around.
It was beautiful. And so, we tell of the English
who burned these Black Boys fields because it cleared the vegetation,
always to protect themselves against attacks from the Aborigines. And when they got up in the morning,
they saw this forest of trees, a bit strange, if you like, all black,
which had produced inflorescences. So they felt like they had
an army of Aboriginal people, who they called Black Boys. It was
a term that was a little bit racist, I have to say. And so there you have it, the plant took
this name that the English gave them. How old was that subject? A black boy grows
about one centimeter per year. So he is 1.10 meters tall.
He is older than us. Yes, yes, largely. Yes, yes, largely even. I even think he’s older
than the ring of our two ages, you see. A super centenarian black boy whom Alain
keeps a close eye on, without going against Mother Nature. In the garden, no pesticides,
no gravel paths and very limited watering. For the rest, plants can
rely on their natural defenses. So all the Pélargnols like what we
commonly call a geranium. All pelargoniums come from
South Africa and almost all pelargoniums are very, very fragrant. Go ahead, go ahead, smell it. There are some that smell like lemon. There are lots and lots of species. For them, it’s a way to defend themselves. We have to understand that if we
find this, it allows them to avoid being grazed by herbivores,
the local antelopes. That’s what it’s for. Always when you have something
that we find pleasant, the plant, it didn’t make it to
be pleasant for us. Usually she did it
to be unpleasant to someone. If you are passing through the Rayol estate, do
n’t hesitate, like André, to take full advantage of the property’s 11 gardens, which can be visited all year round. After this palette of intoxicating fragrances,
it is time for André to lead us to another equally inspiring encounter. Just 30 minutes from the Rayol Gardens
in Cogolin, lies a workshop with rare expertise,
where world-renowned rugs have been produced since 1924. Hello Sandrine. Hello André, how are you?
It’s going great. A precious and meticulous work that André
will discover in the company of Sandrine, sales director.
Come on Sandrine, at least treat yourself there. Listen, we’re already starting
with all this beautiful material. Look at. You see, we have the wool,
the jute, the cotton, everything that we will then use to make the carpets. There you have enough to make quite a few rugs. We have a small package, yes, indeed. A small package that you
must not lose track of. To make a carpet,
we always start by placing around ten rolls on the creel. Once arranged, the threads will be passed
through the lourdissoire, this astonishing 19th century machine. I suggest you and Claudine discuss
exactly how it works. I’m curious about that. This funny giant spool, Claudine,
heavy, watches her closely. Nice to meet you.
Thank you for having me. Claudine Hourdit has been working in the workshop
for 30 years now. Its role is to prepare
the base of the carpets. File by file,
we put them in a comb. And so that they don’t mix,
we put what we call a span. That is, we separate
the wires two by two. And we put a span,
that is to say for the worker, when she will have to tie her roll.
It’s a landmark. She’s not going to be able to cross the wires. To make a carpet measuring 3.50 meters
by four, like the one she is preparing, Claudine will need no fewer
than 30 spools and 180 meters of thread. Claudine, I wanted to
try, is it possible? Yes, absolutely.
I hope I don’t break anything. There is no problem. So. You hold them all in your hands and
let them slide very gently. I put my hands like this so… so they don’t get involved. I’m going to speed up the wheel a little. You feel that it’s
still pulling a little bit. This is normal.
I’m lucky to be able to do this. Oh yeah, you see? Ah, there’s a knot there.
No, that’s it, it’s going to be okay. I don’t agree.
We’re going to slow it down, we’re going to pull it. Ah, there you go, that’s perfect. And there, we arrive at 100 meters,
the counter will tell us: There, the counter will tell us. And that’s it for this shirt. Once the threads have been carefully selected,
you will have to follow the deafening noise of the looms
to discover the famous patterns of Cogolin carpets. Drawings that take shape to the rhythm
of the vigorous back-and-forth of Rykia, a weaver for 30 years in the workshop. In this precise ballet,
one tool in particular does not escape André’s curiosity. I see there are these stainless steel frames there. This is used to create the volume,
the relief of the drawing, the thickness. The thickness of the carpet. So how do you know that you
need a brown wire, then next to it two, then next to it three?
Are you the one who… ?
This is the Jacquard system. We have a perforated cardboard at the top. He’s the one who does the drawing, actually. So. Like a score that guides
the hooks, the mechanistic rhythm of the inventor of the same name allows
the thread to rise to the rhythm of the perforations and to create
the most elaborate patterns. A revolutionary system that would be
nothing without Rykia’s expertise, earned through sheer hard work. And with each frame, you have to pack it down. This is what gives… The resistance of the carpet. You need a good
grip to pack. Yes, I see you have the handle there. But then if I put myself
in your place, I’m going to… Because I’m a little bigger than
you, I’m going to tend to hit. And that has an impact on the carpet.
You’re going to make me a more compact pattern. This will affect the pattern.
On the motif. That’s why the mats are unique,
because each girl has a different way of hitting. Great job. It’s us, it’s who encourages us,
and it’s the result. A result that requires patience. It will take hundreds of hours
of work for the artisans to complete their rug. Each pattern will be chiseled
and cut with precision with a knife. Finally, all the rug pieces will be
assembled and sewn by hand, offering different shapes and colors
with each order. I’ll show you how
we could have done it too. You see? On the model that was
making Réga, which she showed us, it was made of wool. And there, you see, you have the same one in cotton. You see, it doesn’t have
the same effect at all. When passing through Cogolin, do
n’t hesitate, like André, to push open the door of the workshop. It can be visited on request
or during heritage days. In the Var,
other enthusiasts are committed to a very different,
but equally essential, safeguard. In Gonfaron, in the village of Tortues, open to
visitors all year round, efforts have been made since 1986 to protect
Hermann’s tortoise, the only land tortoise in France. To learn everything about this
emblematic animal of the region, André knows that there is no one better
than Bernard, the passionate founder of this association. So Bernard, this famous
Hermann’s tortoise, what are its characteristics? So here is a typical male
Hermann’s tortoise and we recognize it by black bands, there like that,
very regular under the plastron. So, to know his age,
you have to look at a boot. There are streaks there. So. So we count the number of grooves,
but when it’s very worn like that, I can judge a little by habit
that it’s an animal that’s about sixty years old. And how do you tell
a male from a female? So the male has a very,
very strong tail and his plastron is hollow. Why do you think that is? For reproduction. Yes, it’s to stand
on the female’s back. Otherwise it would tip over.
Exactly. Nature is well made, after all. If nature is well made, it
sometimes deserves a little help. In the park, Hermann’s tortoise
is not the only one being pampered. Here, we take care of no fewer than 35
different species, treating minor and major ailments. So Bernard, where are we now? So, we are in the
Turtle Clinic, which is an exceptional place, unique in Europe,
opened in 1989 with the aim of treating all the turtles
abandoned by the public. And since then, we treat 300 turtles a year,
injured in all kinds of ways. Victims of urbanization,
turtles are treated at the clinic after accidents,
generally linked to the tone of zagazon, fires or even
domestic animals. You see, that’s a typical dog. The dog is there to eat her.
Absolutely. He tries to bite her there
and she got lucky. The limbs are not affected. But you have to rebuild part
of the shell because otherwise, there, you see, you have the flesh
which is raw, in a way. So, we have to close it here and there,
in order to reconstitute its bone box a little, but in plastic. That was something you had to pinch yourself on. Yes, since I myself
used polyester before, because I was a designer,
I said to myself: I’m going to use the same technique to repair a living animal,
which seemed strange. A strange process, but one that will
prove extremely effective. So here we are, using
polyester resin which will become rigid in 15 minutes. With just a few brushstrokes,
using resin and fiberglass, Doctor Bernard performed
a real plastic surgery that would save the life of this little Hermane. You will see,
it literally blends in with the place where it is and it will completely
blend in, we can say, finally attach itself to the rising box itself. It’s even transparent,
so you won’t even see it anymore. But then, she’ll have to keep
that all her life, there, for a turtle. No, exactly. As the turtle grows,
the prosthesis will not grow, and it will fall off after
two years, for example. There you go, look, right away,
it’s circular. Come on, in his box. Once rested, this turtle will one
day be reintroduced into the Plain of Mors. In the meantime, some of them are
already being monitored daily by the park’s scientific team. Thanks to sensors placed on their
shell, it is possible to monitor their
development in their original habitat. Essential and valuable work carried out with
passion by the association which will ultimately help save this endemic species. It’s time for André to let
the turtles go back into hiding and lead us to the final,
equally discreet stage of his journey. It’s a secret spot,
on the heights of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, that only regulars know about. Hidden from view,
small family cabins in the Var nestle into the hillside. It is in André’s that we have
the chance to spend some time today, a place where he loves to come with his friend,
the chef Guy Djeda. Look how beautiful they are.
Ah, they are magnificent. Beautiful, beautiful. Last year it wasn’t the same. Guy is the king of chestnuts and uses
this regional fruit to concoct Provençal recipes, the secret of which is his alone. Today, it’s Osso buco revisited
with vegetables and chestnuts, of course. First step: boil them. So how long is that, Guy? I think 40, 45 minutes. There, the fire, it bombards. Yes, it bombs because to stay there,
we will peel the vegetables while it cooks.
Come on, let’s put some in. Come on, let’s get started. In the family cabin,
we always cook in a good mood. A small shed no
bigger than a handkerchief. A small cabin… Because for the people of Var,
preparing lunch in these little perched houses is
a real institution. The cabin, of course,
is quite a story. You know her, Guy. It’s a story about family and friends. The women, my mother, my grandmother, my
aunt, my friends, we made the gnocchi. My aunt, she said gnocology.
So many, there were. And we were all there
and we were happy. And there you have it. A few memories later,
it’s time for André to put the Scottish beans in the pot
and take the chestnuts off the heat. So, the chestnuts are cooked. It’s not the carrots,
it’s the chestnuts, they’re cooked. And instead, we put the pan. Then, Guy will prepare
his meat for cooking. We salt the meat. So, do you dirty it first?
Yes, yes, yes. When you make meat
in a stir-fry or stew. Oh yes, yes, yes, yes. So at that point, the meat
is salty, you don’t worry about it anymore. All you have to do now is add salt to
the liquid, the sauce. So. So, we’re going to make it colorful now. And for cooking this osso bucco,
our pope of Provençal cuisine has a very particular technique. So there, look how
he does it, the beautiful color. So we’re going to add water
and we’re going to do… We’re going to add the water three times,
and each time, we’re going to reduce it. And why three times then?
I’ll tell you. If you add water,
a liter, it makes boiled meat. You have to keep this roasted appearance.
There you go, there you go, there you go. You see, there’s almost no more sauce,
but not at this time. This sauce is taking on a taste,
it’s going to be nectar. While the meat is browning,
our cooks peel the chestnuts. Then, after throwing away the water from the coconuts,
it’s time for the carrots, celery and chestnuts
to go into the pan. The meat is then
incorporated into the vegetables. All that’s left is to simmer for
a few more minutes. After two hours of preparation, it’s
time for the verdict. And with André, it is final. That works. There is nothing more to add,
just eat. We’re going to look at each other. It’s hungry, you know.
It’s very hungry. It’s perfection. We can’t say anything. Friendship, what.
Friendship. Hello, my brother. The Var is full of a palette of
varied landscapes with exceptional natural richness. It is in the heart of the Provençal maquis,
around a hundred kilometers from Saint-Tropez, in the authentic setting
of the small hilltop villages of Haut-Var, that we invite you
to continue this journey. Starting with the one that is
rightly nicknamed the village in the sky, Tourtour, ranked among the most beautiful in France. We will discover this haven of peace with Magali
. Originally from Brittany,
this nature lover settled in Tourtour and never tires
of exploring this Provence which has naturally become hers. I arrived in Tourtour ten years ago. I fell in love with the region, with
these small Provençal villages bathed in sunshine, clinging to the mountains. We have the view,
we have one of the most beautiful villages in France, we have nature behind,
a magnificent mountain forest. Here I found new roots. A strong anchoring that Magali undoubtedly owes
to the undeniable charm of this typically Provençal village,
imbued with its medieval past where warmth and conviviality reign. Hello Mariette. Hello Magali, how are you? And it is Ruelle that she loves so much,
it is in the company of her friend Mariette, village guide, that Magali
is going to explore them today. So here we go, we’re going to do
this. Come on, here we go. Great. A walk that begins at Place
des Hormaux, a meeting place for all the people of Tourtour, and whose name reveals
a story well known to the people of Provence. Oh, by the way, Mariette, I have a question. For me, the Hormaux, in Brittany, are they
shellfish? So not at all, eh. Here in Provence, it’s trees. There were two behind me, there,
in the pots, who were the size of the pots. Ah, who were in the section of… Pots that were a hundred-year-old quadrille. They were planted by Anne
of Austria on the occasion of the birth of Louis XIV. Anne of Austria could not
have children. It is a national disaster. She went on pilgrimages and, miraculously,
it happened in Cotignac. The prayers of the monks made her
succeed in getting pregnant. And in thanksgiving,
they had elm trees planted at all the places of pilgrimage where she had
passed, among other places, all around. And all the elms in Europe
died in the 1970s. And so, we had to
remove them. They were replaced by two olive trees. The name remained and the trees changed. And the trees changed. Two beautiful olive trees nonetheless.
Yes. Very beautiful. From Place des Ormeaux,
don’t hesitate to lose yourself in the winding streets of Tourtour. You will undoubtedly come across the discreet
Comtadou, only 90 cm wide. Comtadou, county of two or county. Its small size reveals
an ancient village tradition. It is the narrowest street in the village. It is the one used
to count the herds. It wasn’t done on purpose, but as
you can see, it’s very, very tight. And so we pass
a sheep or two sheep. And in addition, opposite, there
is this tower with what I call the huts where the shepherds
counted the sheep. As they passed by,
it also allowed them to see the marks on the sheep’s backs. Know whose
sheep belonged to which flock? There you go, count the flocks
before he leaves. Before he left for transhumance
and especially to collect taxes. Taxes which allowed the lord
to enrich himself and to have the most beautiful residences in the village. I’m going to take you to see a place that we
rarely get to see because it’s private. This is the interior of the old castle. And even though the lords have now
disappeared, the privilege of the place remains the same. It’s rare to be able to go up here. We’re on the
11th arrondissement castle there, in fact. And with this view that made all
the lords want to have a piece of the castle to be able to admire everything. And so we see the Sainte Victoire,
Toulon opposite, the Coudon. We understand better why Tourtour
is called the village in the sky. Well yes, and the inhabitants in the clouds. If, like Mariette and Magali,
you love the great outdoors, don’t hesitate to climb
to the heights of Tourtour. At an altitude of 635 metres,
a magnificent panorama of almost 100 kilometres awaits you on
sunny days. It is an architectural treasure of a completely
different kind that we invite you to discover now. Nestled in the heart of the forest,
Toronnais Abbey is a jewel of 12th-century Romanesque art that Magali
couldn’t imagine missing. Hello Bernard. Hello Magali. To learn everything about the monument,
our guide knows she can count on Bernard, the site administrator.
Here we go ? Shall we begin?
Here we go. It was in 1146 that monks
from Tourtour discovered the site and decided to build there,
according to the precepts of the Cistercian model, an abbey with a stripped-down aesthetic,
combining purity and simplicity. Pardon. Here we are on the
outdoor terrace which actually overlooks the cloister of the Thorenais Abbey. I really like this place
nestled in the heart of the forest. Absolutely. There, it is one of the great
Cistercian principles, that is that effectively, we seek the desert, we are going to isolate ourselves. And there, the Thorenais forest
which plays this role of isolation. And then, the second criterion
for establishing an abbey was to have water. And indeed,
we have sources everywhere. Conditions that allow the monks
to live in complete self-sufficiency, as prescribed by
the Rule of Saint Benedict. This strict rule imposes on them
a daily life of work and prayer, humility and poverty. But if the isolation of the place is total,
life in the heart of the abbey is very different. So Bernard, where are
we now? We are here in the
monks’ dormitory of the Toronnais Abbey. It is an extremely important room
since the monks took a vow of community life and it is certainly
the most symbolic place, precisely, of this vow to be together. They were all sleeping there? How did they live? Yes, in fact,
the Toronnais Abbey was designed for around fifty
to one hundred conversants. So that explains why this
dormitory is very big. In fact, the monks
actually slept collectively. An austere way of life,
reflecting the architecture of the abbey. Without any ornamentation,
it finds its beauty in the perfection of its volumes, recognized
by the greatest architects. A quest for excellence that reaches its
peak in the heart of the abbey, where the monks come to sublimate the silence
of the stone seven times a day. It seems that this abbey church has
exceptional acoustics. Yes, so here, at the Toronnais Abbey,
what was exceptional was both the architecture in this
abbey, but of course, also the sound. And here, I will hand over
to Christine, who knows these exceptional acoustics perfectly well. Yes, it’s true, it’s one
of the top 10 acoustics in the world. There are many concerts
held inside. And just to have a little It’s an idea,
I can throw you just a little note to see. Do you hear? Impressive.
The range is very long. Yes, there is roughly between 7
and 12 seconds of resonance. Since monks, as we commonly say, take
precedence, in fact, they sing. The seven offices are sung,
so inevitably there is a search for acoustics.
So the sound circulates. The stone is extremely hard,
it is limestone, so it is not absorbed. So, in fact, it bounces back. And then, afterwards,
they came up with some great theories about acoustic vases
that could be found inside the vaults. There are still some mysteries
which, I think, also make the place beautiful. Like Magali, you can discover this magical sound
during one of the many Gregorian chant concerts
scheduled at the abbey during the summer. After having flattered your ears,
it is now your taste buds that Magali invites you to treat. To do this, return to the heart of Tourtour,
where our guide is eagerly awaited. Hello Michel. Oh.
You started without me, then? Hey, really, did you see that? Hello Sir. In the village,
Michel is the undisputed master of the emblematic Provençal aioli. An ancestral sauce,
flavored with garlic and olive oil, that every good Var resident
makes with their eyes closed. So in principle, the recipe
is one pod per person. And there you have it. So then, well, I said to myself,
if there are two people, we put a pod. Okay, you’re going to add your preparation. So. A simple recipe whose secret
to success lies in the skill of its cooks. So then we
take the pestle and we pound. We’re pounding hard, go ahead, go ahead. You have to be a little scared,
it has to be like an ointment. Come on, come on. I like this kind
of people who move. Okay, it’s elbow grease,
actually, a lot… Come on, let me see,
maybe I’ll tell you. So… You won’t break the mortar,
he tells me. See, look how I
managed to make the ointment. What, Magali? Well, and I hope…
Go on, and keep going. Then, you have to incorporate the eggs
and olive oil into the preparation, always with the same energy. A little bit of olive oil. Go ahead. So. So there, we can clearly see the
mixture coming together on its own. There it is, she stands. Be careful not to
put too much oil so as not to drown it. Because if we drown it, everything
falls out and it comes back with oil. So. You’re a good elbow, though. Oh yeah, but I
really like the client too. After a few minutes of effort, it’s
time for the results. And to know when it’s time
to sit down, Michel has an infallible tip. So, the ointment is finished,
the aioli is soft. And normally, hop,
and it should stay good. The aioli is successful.
Exactly. Shall we taste it? So. Just like Michel and Magali,
you can make a garnished aioli, accompanied by
seasonal vegetables and cod. Look at this, isn’t it beautiful? Oh my, thank you. Come on, the little one for me. And there you have it. And I wish you a good appetite.
THANKS. So I’m going to taste it
a little bit like that. Oh yeah, okay. So. Story, story to see
if I really did a good job. I think you’ll be able to marry me. Delicious. In Provence, Yoli
is truly a festive dish. That is to say, at the beginning,
it was a dish that we made on Fridays with the family, but sometimes,
when we are bored in the small villages of Haut-Var,
sometimes, we get together, our group of friends and we say to ourselves: Hey,
but what if at lunchtime, we made yoli? We do the yoli.
The yoli. The yoli, that’s Provençal. And everyone ate the Yes, that’s it. Your aioli is very good,
Michel, really. Well, you know that
I fell into mortar when I was little. So that…
There you go. You’re Obelix.
You’re Obelix who fell into the… In the magic pouch,
I fell into the mortar. You fell into the mortar. At the gateway to the Var region,
between the azure blue of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez and the hilltop villages
of the Alpes de Haute-Provence, we offer you
a stopover in the magnificent Gorges du Verdon for the final stage of our trip. The Gorges du Verdon are the region’s unmissable destination. A multifaceted setting that will
give you, with its dizzying cliffs and white sand beaches,
an impression of being at the end of the world. Olivier is a local boy. For those who love nature,
the Verdon is a wonderful playground, revealing
all its treasures. Starting with Lake Sainte-Croix,
a little gem of the region, where our guide particularly likes to
stop to admire the landscape. I have always known this landscape. This is the landscape of my childhood,
of my adolescence. And what I particularly like
about the Gorges du Verdon is the diversity of the landscapes. In the Verdon, we will have mountains,
we will have rivers, lakes. So it’s really a place where you have
both the sea and the mountains and you touch the sky. Very close to the Sainte-Croix lake,
the village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie also seems to reach for the sky. It is undoubtedly because it was founded
in the 5th century by the monks of Léhreins that this village clinging to the side of a cliff
has the appearance of a living nativity scene. Its typical Provençal alleyways,
its tuff bell tower and its pastel-colored tiled roofs make this
characterful village the most emblematic of the Verdon Gorges. A must-see whose
charm Olivier never tires of. To discover its smallest secrets,
he can count on Amina, an expert guide on all
the village’s stories. And the most famous of them
begins with a funny object. I see you have an
iron bar in your hands. You’re not trying to hit me though. But no, still.
I don’t talk too much nonsense. But no, still. Well, after a while,
I’ll end up telling you the why and how. I’d like to. So this is a link
in the chain that supports that star up there between the two rocks. Everything we see up there.
Exactly. The first written traces of this star
date back to the 12th century. In fact, we don’t know who,
when, how or even why. We’re just sure of one thing,
that it’s an ex around. There are several legends
told about this star. The most famous legend
is that of a famous knight who went on a crusade and was
taken prisoner in his dungeon. He would have sworn that if he returned to Moustiers,
to his homeland, he would place this star suspended
between the two rocks in thanks. All right. Nine centuries later,
the Gargantuan star still watches over the sky of Moustiers, continuing
to fuel many legends. It is said that there are about
twenty legends. Do I know them all? Yes. To see the star up close,
don’t hesitate to climb up to the Notre-Dame-de-Beauvoir chapel,
at the origin of the city. You will have to bravely climb
these 262 steps to reach it. But from up there, the view is so beautiful that
you will quickly forget your efforts. Staying at the bottom of the village,
our guides turn their attention to the church bell tower
which attracts no less curiosity. Our bell tower is Lombard Romanesque and
is one of three moving bell towers in Europe. Are you moving it to the village? No.
Olive. In fact, it is said that our bell tower
moves even as the bell swings. So every time the bell
rang, the bell tower would move like this. And the prior of the time, Jean de Berté,
decided to reinforce it with the iron tie rods that you see there. Okay, shall we continue? Come on. If, like Olivier and Amina, you wander
the cobbled streets of Moustiers, one detail on the village walls will
undoubtedly catch your eye. So, we arrived at Place Pommet. I’ll show you that
street names are written in earthenware. So, earthenware, you must have
asked yourself questions about that. Yes, there are plenty
of shops here in Moustiers. It’s impressive.
Why all this earthenware? So, in the 17th century,
you have a monk from faience in Italy, who gives the secret of making
faience to Pierre Clerici. This one is the first potter
to have received the title of faience maker. Little by little, the secret of making
earthenware became known in pottery workshops. And so, everyone makes
earthenware in Moustiers. A know-how so precious that its
fame reached the kingdom of Louis XIV. He himself ordered that his
gold and silver tableware be melted down, keeping only Moustiers earthenware on his table. At that time, he proclaimed
Moustiers earthenware to be the finest in his kingdom. So, worthy of being at his table. That’s exactly it. Okay, well,
that’s good because I have an appointment with Anne, who is going to show me around
her pottery workshop. Oh great. So there you have it, thank you
very much for your explanations. Well, if you liked it, listen,
I’ll guide you to Anne’s workshop. Okay, great, thanks. If Olivier doesn’t waste a minute
going to Anne’s workshop, it’s because earthenware is a family affair. Hello, hello.
Hello Olivier. Hi Anne. I’m coming to visit your workshop.
My pleasure. Come on, let’s go. Here we go. Here, each hand has been working with precision
and dexterity for three generations now. Manufacturing secrets that Olivier will
discover with Anne, who has known them since childhood. And it all starts with a clever mixture of
clay and numerous ingredients whose dosage has been kept
secret for 70 years. So this mixture is a homemade recipe
that my father developed. Family secrets.
Family secrets, that’s it. And we will mix all of this with water
to obtain a clay that we call slip. Because after, we are going to fill our molds with
this earth, liquid from this slip. So you’ve been splashing around in it
since you were little. And then there you go, I’m in pots,
not in cabbages. These molds are the treasure
of the L’Allier workshop. All crafted by Anne’s father,
they can be used up to 200 times before they become dull. But the one Anne is holding in her hands
still has a few prints ahead of it. So, we are going to fill
our mold with liquid soil. We will see that
this material is really very fluid. Yes, it’s… It
looks like melted chocolate. That’s it. We fill the mold to the brim. So now it’s the magic of plaster,
we don’t have to do anything anymore. So, when we judge the thickness to be at
its end, we can simply empty it
by turning it over. Once the clay is poured, it takes barely 45 minutes for the material
to take on the contours of the mold, solidify and appear
in a new form. The birth of a vase. The birth of a vase. We’ll put it there. You see, we realize
that it is still very malleable. If we had too
much pressure, we would damage the profile of the vase. Now we will let it
air dry and then remove the seams.
And the drying time? Usually between 24 and 48 hours. We will be able to tell how
dry it is thanks to the color. There, we realize that it is
a very bright color, a little bit like tomato color. And then it will become old pink. And when the pieces are old pink,
we know they are really dry. It’s in plain sight.
It’s in plain sight. Then it’s time for trimming. Any excess clay is delicately
and patiently removed with a knife. Then, the pieces are fired at 1,020
degrees to solidify. And while 20 hours are needed
for cooling, the next step, enameling, is a matter of
furtive rain. You have to be careful
because it’s fast. We’re doing a little magic here. We will dip our coins in this bath. And there you have it. We can see that
it comes out completely white, but above all, it is already dry. It dries super fast.
Can I try? My pleasure. It’s already dry. It really dries super fast. Porosity is what we
wanted to achieve. Cooking allows the solidity,
but above all the porosity of the material. The highly absorbent clay
allows the enamel to be incorporated and dried in a fraction
of a second on its plates. A crucial step that will allow
the decoration of objects. The first Moustier earthenware. Yes, but you can’t put it down
right away, because I have n’t done that step, but you’ll
have to remove the enamel on the base of the piece. This is for the second cooking,
so that afterwards… So that it doesn’t stick.
It sticks. There you go, that’s perfect. Once we have enameled the piece,
we will decorate the objects. That’s the bulk of our
manufacturing and it’s done there. If, like Olivier, you visit
Anne’s workshop, you will be able to observe the meticulous work of the decorators who bring
these passionately created designs to life. After the refined decorations of the
earthenware workshop, we invite you to end this
stroll with a decor of a completely different kind, unique in Europe. Just a stone’s throw from Moustiers,
the exceptionally beautiful Gorges du Verdon attract no fewer than 600,000 nature lovers each year. However, not far from this highly
sought-after paradise, in the Gorges de Baudinard base, there is a Verdon that is still
wild and discreet, preserved from tourists. Secret Gorges
that Olivier will explore today in the company of Yannick,
who knows every nook and cranny. Listen, I’ve been coming here since 88.
88? So it’s kind of my throat.
This is my home. The Verdon owes its special charm in large part to the purity of its color. This emerald green that only exists here. A surprising shade due to the microalgae
and fluoride contained in the river. But to understand the origins of this
enchanting 400,000-year-old landscape, we need to take a leap back in time. You should know that here, at the beginning,
there was an ocean, a sea called the Tetis. Not very deep.
A warm sea. Here, you have to imagine yourself,
a few million years ago, on the beach,
sipping a little mojito. It’s from the tropics. And from the tropics to the river, we will
still have to wait for the work of tectonic movements on these
cliffs over hundreds of millions of years to finally see the birth of the Verdon. Prehistoric man already contemplated this scenery with its changing colors from the heights of their caves. There are many caves there. So, in relation to the Verdon,
you should know that between the Saint-Croix barge and the Esmarons barge, there
are around sixty listed archaeological sites. Because these impressive cavities perched
in the rock were already a place of life 6,000 years ago, before our era. In this cave,
an obsidian stone was found. I don’t know if you know
obsidian, it’s a black volcanic stone that comes from the Paris Islands,
which is dated to 2005 BC. Which means that already, at the time,
you see, there was a trade route that brought objects there. So, this cave is really
a summary of prehistory. A compendium of prehistory and history. During the Second World War,
the caves became strategic hiding places for the resistance fighters who defended
France as far as the Gorges. One day I found
some grenades in a hole. Oh yes. And the old people told me that
back then, they would cross and actually hide the grenades in the holes. And if they were ever followed
by the Germans, well, well, boom, they would snitch. With just a few strokes of the paddle, the
atmosphere changes. At the bottom of the Gorges, the landscape
takes on the appearance of a hanging garden. In the last part
of the Gorges de Baudinard. There are magnificent waterfalls.
There it is done. Small canyon. For me, it’s really the
most beautiful thing in the area. So these are natural sources? No not at all. It looks like springs,
but in fact, behind them, we have the lake of Saint-Croix,
which is the largest of the Verdon lakes, the second largest in France,
growing on a limestone massif that is cracked everywhere. So all of this is resurgence,
it’s leaks. All right. These are resurgences
from Lake Saint-Croix. So, if you like, here, the whole ecosystem
has changed since the dams were built. The Saint-Croix dam
dates back to the 1970s. And if you like, then
it started leaking. It goes through the cracks. And so, suddenly,
you have all the dust, the mosses, the maidenhair ferns,
the mosses that have settled in. And so it’s really exceptional. In fact, it is a mixture
of water-related vegetation, such as ferns, mosses,
and all the Mediterranean vegetation above. That’s it, because we are between
the Haut-Var and the pre-Alps. So we have a bit of both. We have green oak,
we have white oak, we must have been. And then, you see, here, we have filariae,
we have fig trees, we really have many, many species.
Which makes it not bad. It’s quite substantial, yes. It would take Yannick a long time to
list them all, because in the Gorges du Verdon, flora reigns supreme. More than 2,000 species of plants
grow happily on the rock. This gentle walk in the
Gorges de Baudinard comes to an end. Many other splendors remain
to be discovered in the region. The many wonders of the Var will
never cease to amaze you.

Outre Saint-Tropez, le département du Var offre de nombreuses destinations de rêve.

Pour découvrir les merveilles des plus belles régions de France, c’est ici – Abonnez-vous 👉 http://bit.ly/3zjR2Vj 🙏

Le vignoble de Bandol profite pleinement du soleil tout en s’imprégnant de la douceur de la Méditerranée. Sur le littoral, la corniche des Maures ou les roches rouges de l’Esterel offrent un spectacle naturel saisissant. Iles et presqu’îles accueillent les amateurs de farniente. A l’intérieur des terres, le village médiéval du Castellet forme une toile de fond intemporelle. L’arrière-pays est en effet exceptionnel, et les gorges du Verdon sont considérées comme l’un des plus beaux canyons d’Europe. Grimpeurs, randonneurs et adeptes de sports extrêmes s’y donnent rendez-vous.

Réalisé par Audrey VARET.
© MORGANE PRODUCTION