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Ramatuelle... Tucked Away on the Hillside

RAMATUELLE is a sheltered village. Even now, as you arrive from the plain, it feels as though you are penetrating a fortified town just like the Saracens in days gone by! But don't worry, the Saracens are long gone and Ramatuelle is now a quiet and unextravagant holiday location, tucked away from the noise and crowds of the Riviera coast.

The main square has kept its original name "Place de l'Ormeau" (Elm Square). In front, just opposite the Tourist Office, a local police officer is on duty - just like the village policeman in days gone by. On fine days, you can tell the time on the sundial above the Tourist Office; the church bell with its pretty bell tower does the job too if its cloudy!

The stone façades are covered in colourful bougainvillea and craftsmen come regularly to the village to present their wicker, wooden or fabric creations, while the fountain with its magnificent lion's head continues to gush the water that formerly supplied the whole population. In ancient times, the inhabitants of Ramatuelle were mainly farmers, millers, wine-growers or carters.

Yes...a quiet and unextravagant life, as the people of Ramatuelle will tell you. And although the old elm no longer exists and was replaced in 1983 by an olive tree - symbol of Provence and longevity -, although horses and cattle no longer jostle for space at the drinking trough, Ramatuelle is still a profoundly rural village and the garden for many artists who have come here to take advantage of this unique quality of life.

The famous actor Gérard Philipe lived in Ramatuelle for a long time. The old folks still remember the sound of his beat-up Ford as he crossed the village. He was buried in the cemetery in 1959.

Ramatuelle has no port, rather as though its inhabitants had always feared the proximity of the coast - the source of many dangers (and sometimes liberation, as in August 1944!). This strategic position has allowed Ramatuelle to defend itself admirably throughout the centuries. And spiral out around the hillside and ancient castle. A quiet life indeed...

A Theatre Where the Faithful Gather by the Thousands…

If I had to write a postcard, I would write from Ramatuelle. And this is what I'd say: "I'm writing to you from Ramatuelle, in the Var. It's an old stone village, filled with jasmine, geraniums and honeysuckle from where you can see right to the Mediterranean. When the Mistral wind blows, the whole of the plain down below vibrates and whirls as the vine leaves are flung from side to side, like a boat caught in a storm.

rom June to September, the sky is covered with a breathtaking blue tarpaulin! In the distance, beyond the reeds and rose laurel hedges, is the longest sandy beach I have ever seen on the Riviera: it's called the Bay of Pampelonne.

In Summer, the village is literally invaded by crowds of passionate music and theatre-lovers who come to the "Théâtre de Verdure" every year to attend the "Classic Music Festival", the "Théâtre et Variétés" theatre festival and "Jazz à Ramatuelle" jazz festival in August.

There's so much to see here (though of course I don't want to make you jealous!) - the beautiful bay stretching from Cape Camarat to Cape Taillat, Camarat lighthouse, the Paillas windmills, or the Briande dolmen. But just strolling around the village's maze of little streets and narrow passages running from Place de l'Ormeau to the "Porte Sarrasine" portcullis or the incredibly steep Rue Rompe Cu (Bottom-Breaker Street!) is a pleasure in itself."

"The famous Pampelonnes’s beach"

5 km of fine, golden sand stretching from Cape Pinet to Cape Camarat… One of the main sites of the Allied Landings on August 15th, 1944, Pampelonne is now home to 25 internationally-famous beach concessions!

"The Camarat’s Lighthouse"

France's second-highest lighthouse, at 130 m above sea level. The lighthouse formerly ran on oil before being converted to electricity in 1946, then automated in 1977. Its range is 60 km. On clear days, you can see as far as Corsica from the top. Cape Camarat, classified an exceptional natural site, stretches out down below. The lighthouse can’t be visited.

"Sentier du Littoral"

The Coastal Footpath takes you along sandy beaches and rocky coast, from Saint-Tropez to Gigaro beach in La Croix-Valmer./p>

Cape Taillat

A magnificent and remarkably well-protected peninsula, where rare Mediterranean species such as dwarf palms thrive.

"Le Rocher des Portes"

also called "bird island".

"Le Dolmen de la Baie de Briande"

Burial monument dated 2000 B.C. and protected by the "Conservatoire du Littoral" (Coastal Preservation Society). The dolmen is located 500 metres from the "Maison des Douanes". In 1935, the archaeologist Oscar Rappaz discovered arrow heads, quartz pendants and serpentine stone pearls on the site.

A Touch of History

Two theories, now refuted by historians, exist as to the origins of Ramatuelle. Some believe that the name comes from the Arab word Rahmatu'llah meaning "Divine Providence" or "Blessed by the Gods". Others evoke the name of a Celtic-Ligurian settlement, Camatullici, established on the banks of Gapeau river before the Roman conquest arrived.

Chased from their homes, its people are said to have taken refuge in the hills, then set up on the site of the current village. At the time, the area was referred to as the Camatullici Region. The "R" of Region is then said to have replaced the "C" of Camatullici to form the words Ramatullucci, then Ramatuelle.

Monuments

"Eglise Notre-Dame"

Including a serpentine stone portal dated 1620, the church was built in the 16th century against the ancient ramparts - the covered way on the church roof is still intact. The bell tower was a former lookout post. Inside, you will discover 16th century gold-leafed wooden statuettes, a bust of Saint-André - the Patron Saint of Ramatuelle carved from the stump of a fig tree and two 17th century altarpieces.

The ancient prisons

Located in the street stretching round the bottom of the old village, the prisons were built during the reign of Napoleon III in a style so reminiscent of Arab architecture that legend tells they were in fact Turkish baths built by the Saracens !

"Le Mémorial des Anciens des Services Spéciaux de la Défense Nationale (ASSDN)"

Inaugurated on May 3, 1959, this unique national monument is the work of Courbier and commemorates the heroic missions accomplished by France's submarines, including the Casabianca, during World War II. A group of resistance fighters from Ramatuelle helped the submarine deliver special agents from Algiers to France when it moored on the coast. At L’Escalet, a number of plaques commemorating these events can be seen (take the coastal footpath from the little harbour on your left to the "Roche Escudelier").

Take a Walk!

Length: 30 mins. Departure from the Tourist Office, Place de l'Ormeau.

Planted during the reign of Henry IV, the tree also figures on the village's coat of arms. It was replaced by an olive tree in 1983. You will also see Notre-Dame church on the square (see "Monuments"). When you leave the church, pass under the porch and enter the old village, with its narrow streets cramped between the ancient ramparts. The original door and window frames can still be seen on some houses. You will then arrive at Place Gabriel Péri, formerly called "Castle Square" - a seigneurial residence reworked in the 18th century by the Seigneurs of Audibert. As you go down Rue Victor Léon, you will pass in front of the "Porte Sarrasine" portcullis. Head back up the street, then go down Avenue Clémenceau to the Landings Memorial inaugurated in 1959. Next, go on to Sainte-Anne chapel, built in the 16th century and the cemetery where the actor Gérard Philipe lies. Shaded by a laurel tree and covered in ivy, his tomb is one of the cemetery's most discreet.

Nature guided walk by naturalist guide, on Thursday afternoons : "Pampelonne, les secrets de la vie dans le sable", "Camarat : paysage de granite", "Cap Taillat, des rochers à l’isthme", "Sur les traces du meunier de Paillas", "Bois flotté et trous d’eau". Booking at the tourism office before Thursday 10.30am. Price: 8€/pers - 4€ from 8 to 12 years. Free under 8 years.

Panorama

Les Moulins de Paillas

Les Moulins de Paillas were windmills used until the 19th century. One of them has been refurbished since September 2002. Visit: ask at the Tourist Office. On the RD 89 road, the windmills offer a superb panoramic views (altitude 325 meters) over Cavalaire Bay and La Croix Valmer and Pampelonne Beach.

"Le Col de Collebasse"

A picturesque hilltop road leading to La Croix-Valmer through a beautiful umbrella pine forest (Alt.: 129 m).

In the village

at the town hall, on the Boulevard du 8 mai 1945 and the Victor Léon street.

Cinema at the Espace Culturel

Every Tuesday and Wednesday except July, August. Tel: 04 98 12 64 00

All the year, don’t miss our events for kids. Cultural exhibitions to open one’s mind to the world, play appointments with stories, old plays, scarecrows (in june) and strolls in the small train… Ask for the programm !