CIRCUIT 6 – LA CIOTAT / CASSIS
Le Castellet
Small charming village with its beautiful old restored houses, small ancient streets where you can find a lot of workshops (potters, ceramics, leather goods, art galleries, typical restaurants with Provençal cuisine). You will enjoy a panoramic view from the esplanade of the former castle (15th century), on the Sainte Baume, the vineyards and the famous domain of AOC Bandol wine (AOC means “Protected Designation of Origin”).
For the anecdote, the village served as a backdrop for Marcel Pagnol’s famous film “La femme du boulanger” (“The Baker’s wife”) with actor Raimu in 1938.
Le Mugel
The Mugel botanical park, formerly private property, belonged to the city of La Ciotat since 1987. It is classified as a “remarkable garden” and cover 17 hectares. The park benefits from a micro-climate due to the protection of an imposing rock mass (the beak of the eagle) which stops the wind called Mistral from passing through the area. The climate allows the development of plants, such as bamboos, cactus, chestnuts, etc. On the seaside of the park, you will find calanques, coves, and pebble beaches of captivating beauty.
Route des Crêtes
The definition of a scenic route is real and goes from La Ciotat to Cassis. Several enlargements of the route have been arranged to allow the breathtaking panorama on Gulf of Cassis city. The road runs along the cliff of Cape Canaille which is the 2nd highest sea cliff of Europe with its 396 meters!
Cassis – PortMiou
Let’s take a walk on the peninsula of Cassis city, along the cove of Port Miou, measuring more than 600 meters and being the shelter of more than 500 boats. In 1982, the quarry at the entrance of the calanque closed. It was the exploitation zone of the “Cassis Stone” which is hard and white. Then, visit the flat rocks that lunge into the turquoise water of the Mediterranean Sea, while having a look of the Cap Canaille in the distance.