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...

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.

From 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 "Temps Musicaux" classic music festival in July, 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.