Cours Gambetta in Cotignac

In Cotignac, the plane trees on Cours Gambetta shade café terraces and fountains. From this long promenade, narrow streets climb towards the old village houses and the tufa cliff rising above them.

Cours Gambetta, a promenade beneath the plane trees

South of old Cotignac, two rows of plane trees line Cours Gambetta. Café tables occupy the sides of the promenade, while the central avenue stretches beneath the branches. A few benches offer a place to pause in the shade, close to the shops and fountains.

This long esplanade was once pasture belonging to the Prince of Condé and leased by the village community. In 1770, the municipality acquired the right to use it and planted an avenue of elms. In the 19th century, hackberries and then plane trees replaced them, while the rows of houses made the cours the village’s bourgeois quarter.

Cours Gambetta and its café terraces in the shade of plane trees in Cotignac — Café terraces and benches beneath the plane trees on Cours Gambetta.

Before today’s cafés and restaurants, social clubs brought together some of the village’s men here. In the early 20th century, they frequented the Cercle des Travailleurs, the Cercle des Blancs or the Caisse de Mort. Today’s terraces welcome other regulars; on Tuesday mornings, the market sets up along the cours.

The two fountains of Cours Gambetta

At the lower end of the cours, the Fontaine de la Cascade, built in 1850, stands beside the covered washhouse. Beneath its timber roof, stone basins fill almost all the space where people once washed their laundry. The washhouse is supplied by water from both fountains on the cours.

Stone basins and timber roof of the washhouse on Cours Gambetta in Cotignac — The covered washhouse at the lower end of Cours Gambetta.

At the upper end of the cours, the Fontaine des Quatre Saisons bears four white marble faces. It once adorned the gardens of the Dominican convent on Cours Mirabeau in Aix-en-Provence, before being acquired in 1810 and later installed in Cotignac. Water spouts from their mouths and falls into the basin.

Marble faces and water jets on the Fontaine des Quatre Saisons in Cotignac — The Fontaine des Quatre Saisons at the upper end of the cours.

From Cours Gambetta to the town hall square

Beyond the promenade, the streets of the old village narrow. Rendered façades alternate with stone walls; vaulted passages and steps lead towards the foot of the Rocher. The cliff appears above the houses, then rises behind the town hall square.

The town hall occupies a former 16th-century communal bakehouse. Upstairs, the heat made the baker’s accommodation uninhabitable. In 1558, the oven was moved and the building became the communal meeting hall, later enlarged. The fountain and campanile stand over the square beneath the rock face.

Fountain, façades and campanile on the town hall square below Cotignac’s cliff — The town hall square at the foot of the Rocher.

Old Cotignac developed at the foot of the rock face, around the church of Saint-Pierre. In the 18th and then the 19th century, the village spread onto lower ground towards Cours Gambetta and the Ferrages district. The cours now links the old streets to these more recent neighbourhoods.

Passage between the stone houses of old Cotignac beneath the cliff — A passage through the old streets beneath the cliff.

The Moulin du Piquet at the foot of the Rocher

Behind the town hall, the walls of the Moulin du Piquet retain three old olive presses. Olive growing developed in Cotignac from the 16th century; by the late 19th century, the village had fourteen public oil mills. The Moulin du Piquet was the last to operate.

Its name recalls a milling right. When the lord ceded the mill to the community in 1521, he retained the right to have his olives and those of his trusted men milled there. Scourtins, round baskets holding the olives, were stacked beneath the presses; the oil then flowed towards the basins.

Three old olive presses at the Moulin du Piquet beneath Cotignac’s Rocher — The old olive presses at the Moulin du Piquet.

The cliff and cavities of old Cotignac

The Rocher forms a long tufa cliff, with cavities, overhangs and mineral formations. This rock formed from limestone deposits left by water. The Cassole once flowed over this rocky barrier; its course was diverted and now passes to the east of the village.

Residents adapted the cavities as shelters, storage spaces and accommodation for animals. The Rocher also served as a quarry, providing stone for village houses. The walkway built into the rock face reveals some of these former dwellings, while the Théâtre du Rocher at the foot of the cliff hosts performances and open-air cinema.

Cavities, tufa formations and old structures in Cotignac’s Rocher cliff — The cavities and old structures in Cotignac’s Rocher.

On the heights, towers and village rooftops

Two medieval towers stand on the ridge. These watchtowers overlooked the area around the village; their walls have no entrance at ground level. One of the towers stands against the woodland above the cliff.

Square medieval tower above Cotignac’s Rocher — One of the two watchtowers above the Rocher.

From the heights, Cotignac’s rooftops crowd the foreground. Lower down, the line of plane trees traces Cours Gambetta among the houses. Beyond, homes stand further apart among gardens, farmland and the wooded hills of Provence Verte.

View over Cotignac’s rooftops at the foot of its tufa cliff — The village clustered at the foot of the tufa cliff.

Continue through Provence Verte and the Haut-Var

The roads around Cotignac lead to Sillans-la-Cascade and the villages of Provence Verte. To the north, the fortified gates of Aups open into the old town streets. Further on, the two windmills of Régusse stand at the edge of the village.

Practical information

Planning a walk from Cours Gambetta

Access and route: Public car parks on the edge of the centre, then explore on foot. Cours Gambetta is a shaded promenade; the old village streets and routes to the heights include slopes and steps.
Market and events: Tuesday morning market on Cours Gambetta and Place Joseph-Sigaud. In summer, Les Toiles du Sud film festival at the Théâtre du Rocher; quince festival in autumn. Dates and programme from the tourist office.
Visiting the Rocher: The troglodyte dwellings walkway has its own opening and visiting arrangements. Up-to-date information from the tourist office.

Local information: Cotignac, Provence Verte & Verdon Tourism; village heritage, Cotignac town hall.

Visits and events: Rocher walkway; Cotignac market.

Extend your stay

Bed and breakfasts around Cotignac and in Provence Verte

Cotignac and the villages of Provence Verte make convenient bases near Cours Gambetta, the Rocher and the landscapes of central Var. The portal links to owners’ websites to help you plan your stay.

These properties listed on the Portal are within 25 km as the crow flies of the location featured in this getaway. Visit their websites to plan your stay.