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La Garde-Freinet
La Garde-Freinet, France (cc)
Photo: pom-et-clarie.fr
La Garde-Freinet
La Garde-Freinet is a small village at the foot of the ruins of an historically important fort perched at the top of the Massif des Maures. When Charles Martel expelled the Moors from the Kingdom of France in 732, they retreated to their strongholds in Provence, such as La Garde-Freinet, where they held out for another 200 years. From there, according to tradition, the Saracens surveyed the coast and surrounding countryside, descending from time to time for a bit of medieval pillage. The original name of the village, Fraxinet, is a Saracen word.
The ruins of the fortress are not much more than an archaeological site on a hill overlooking today’s village. But the amazing views, of the coast as well as inland across the Maures and the Plaine de Luc, are worth the hike. The remains of a 12th-century fortified village are currently being excavated as well. Below it, La Garde-Freinet fills a narrow mountain pass on the GR9. Like other villages in the Maures, its economy includes cork manufacture and chestnut products as well as Côte de Provence wines and, of course, tourism.
Last updated March 15, 2012
Posted in France | Western Côte d’Azur
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