COLLOBRIÈRES

Set in the heart of the Forests of the Maures some 13kms, as the crow flies, from the coast, Collobrières is a small town where you feel you have stepped back in time a hundred years. It is thought that Collobrières was the first place in France to use cork from the cork oak to plug its bottles of wine. Cork production was the main stay of the town from the middle ages up until more modern alternatives became available and production was cut back as a result. However, Collobrières is still the place to buy items fashioned from cork and, as you can see in the picture, there are still a few shops dedicated to the material, which have remained mostly unchanged for decades.

As cork production fell so the people of Collobrières turned their hands to the production of all things that could be made using the abundant crop of sweet chestnuts including jam, nougat, puree and even ice cream!

Like most towns and villages in France, the people of Collobrières enjoy their wine but they take this enjoyment a step further. In the La Place de la Mairie there is a small fountain (shown below) in the centre of which is a small boy holding a fish. Every year around the 15th of August they hold the Fétes des Fontaines to celebrate the building of the fountain. During the celebrations the water, which is normally in the fountain, is replaced with rosé wine and flowers! So French!

Getting to Collobrières can be a heart stopping experience! Take the D41 north from just outside Le Lavandou and the road twists and turns relentlessly as it makes it’s way ever higher through the Forests of the Maures towards Collobrières. Sheer drops of hundreds of metres are right on the edge of the narrow road where trying to pass vehicles coming in the opposite direction takes some skill and a certain amount of courage! Although the French still seem to see this road as a racetrack like any other! This road is also very popular with cyclists who must also have nerves of steel. Take your eyes off the road for a second or stop at one of the many viewing points and admire the sheer beauty of this area. If you want an easier approach to Collobrières take the D14 from Pierrefeu-du-Var and Cuers to the east which drops down into the Rhone valley.

Collobrières is definitely well worth a visit. There isn’t much by way of shops except for the usual tourist and old craft shops but the atmosphere in the streets amongst the pastel coloured buildings, plain trees and street cafés is pure France.

The tourist office for Collobrières can be found HERE