Ramatuelle is, first and foremost, a loving village overlooking an area of unspoilt natural beauty from its gentle hillside. The original spiral layout of the old town centre seems to have protected it from all outside tumult. The charming, curving streets, staircases and calades are adorned with jasmine, bougainvillea and honeysuckle. The Provencal market in Place de l’Ormeau comes alive on Thursdays and Sundays, offering an authentic atmosphere. New this year, the village is home to an Augmented Artistic Reality exhibition, R.A.A.matuelle, featuring some twenty musical digital animations by Canadian artist James Kerr (ScorpionDagger) taking an offbeat look at Ramatuell’s heritage. On the plain side, wine-growing dominates, and the commune boasts a dozen producers of Rosé de Provence who flourish in the southern sunshine.
And on the seafront, there’s Pampelonne beach, with its 4.5 kilometres of fine sand, all in one stretch. Festive in summer with its beach establishments, magnificent and wild in winter, it offers an extraordinary landscape all year round. The smaller, family-friendly Escalet beach nestles between the sea and the hill. It is the starting point for an emblematic section of the coastal path, Cap Taillat, an isthmus preserved by the Conservatoire du Littoral. It is worth visiting out of season to fully appreciate its natural character. The commune is also home to the proud Camarat lighthouse and is carved out of hundreds of small coves that can only be reached on foot.
Ramatuelle is also a land of culture. For 40 years it has been home to the Theatre Festival, which invites the most talented artists every year, as well as an internationally renowned jazz festival and, for the last few years, a festival that reconnects the country’s young talent with their territory. The Tourist and Cultural Office also organises a number of cultural events throughout the year.
PANORAMAS
• Moulin de Paillas restored in 2002 based on 16th-century plans. Vue panoramique (325 m d’altitude) sur la baie de Cavalaire/La Croix Valmer d’un côté, Pampelonne et le village de l’autre.
• Col de Collebasse trail: forest path between oaks and umbrella pines.
• Esplanade de la mairie: overlooks the village and the entire Ramatuelle plain as far as the Camarat lighthouse.
• Orientation table in the village: views over the plain, the Estérel mountains and the pre-Alpes du Sud, covered in snow in winter.
• Lighthouse road
A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY
Ramatuelle has been inhabited by humans since prehistoric times, as evidenced by the carved flints, polished axes and pottery shards found by archaeologists. The origin of the name Ramatuelle is obscure, although some believe it to be Arabic in origin. The village is mentioned for the 1st time in the 11th century in a charter from the Abbey of Saint-Victor in Marseille. It has retained its medieval structure and walls. In the Middle Ages, the parish church, then called Notre-Dame du Pin, stood roughly on the site of the town hall. The current church was built at the end of the 16th century against the surrounding wall. A 14th-century watchtower was used as the bell tower. On 15 August 1944, the beach at Pampelonne was the scene of the Allied landings in Provence.
NOT TO BE MISSED
• In the village, the church (serpentine door), the seigniorial house (centre of the village) with its bronze hammer and wooden fireplace, the old round-headed doors, the remains of the fortifications, the so-called “Saracen” gate (portcullis slide and hinge marks), walks in the narrow streets (door and window frames, some dating from the 15th century), rue du clocher: former prisons dating from Napoleon III (white building without a roof with rounded shapes). ), rue du clocher : anciennes prisons datant de Napoléon III (bâtiment blanc sans toit aux formes arrondies).
• On the plain: 750 hectares of vineyards and their estates.
• On the coast: the beaches of Pampelonne and l’Escalet; the coastal path; Cap Taillat and Cap Camarat.
INFORMATION
Tourist Office of Ramatuelle
Catégorie 1 – Marque « Qualité Tourisme »
Place de l’Ormeau
83350 Ramatuelle
+33 (0)4 94 56 04 93 – office@ramatuelle-tourisme.com
Tourist Office website: www.ramatuelle-tourisme.com
Destination website: www.visitgolfe.com
Copyright : Emmanuel Bertrand / OTC de Ramatuelle
