Have you been going back and forth about picking Fontvieille for your next vacation? Do you want to know why you would be making a great choice when you choose it? If it is a leisure holiday you have on your mind, you would be taking back great memories as a souvenir from Fontvieille.
Here’s why.
Great food and wine
Check out the eateries run by the locals using the local produces and have the meal and win in the rustic setting of an 18th-century sheepfold. Fontvieille is home to many organic olive trees. Brace yourself for the most delicious olive oil here. Some restaurants also bring Oriental and Italian touches to the Provencal Market cuisine.
Enjoy the wide-open spaces of the Alpilles.
Take the long-distance footpath, the Way of Saint James and the “Heritage & Nature” footpath, leading to the hills. As you hike, you will be greeted by some magnificent flora and fauna.
Moulin Mas de Daudet
It is a pretty stone flour mill running for ages. Wheat, corn, polenta and chickpeas are milled here, and it is worth visiting to observe and appreciate the process.
Top-notch honey
Alpilles are producing the best honey. They allow you a taste before you buy. The owners of the bee farm also offer a beekeeping tour.
Windmills of the Alpilles
The windmill sits on the crest of a barren knoll after over 100 years of operation. The Ribet mill is built on the same hill. It is the best-preserved windmill, the Sourdon being the oldest one. During the 1800s, these mills played a crucial role in feeding Fontvieille’s swelling population of stonecutters.
Aqueducts by Romans
The quarried stone drove the population and economy of this town. The Barbegal Aqueduct was engineered to supply water to Arles, constructed using the stone.
Lettres de Mon Moulin
On his way to Chateau de Montauban, Daudet paused and spent some time in Fontvieille. Inspired by the staunch mill and the town, he wrote “Letters from my Windmill”.
The tourism office of Fontvieille is located centrally, and they offer guides so that you are well versed with the extensive history of the town and the places you visit.
In conclusion
Fontvieille was officially named towards the end of the French Revolution, although it was inhabited long before that. Archaeologists have made discoveries that claim the establishment of human habitat here between 5000-2800 BC.
The legacy of the town makes it an ultimate tourist spot. The expansive olive tree fields and the still mountains are the views to behold. Perhaps, your vacation here will inspire you to create something out of the ordinary and tick all your dream vacation prerequisites boxes.