Our holiday home was at Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer in the Var, one of France’s most beautiful , half-way between Marseille and Toulon. Despite the proximity of these major conurbations, it is a natural scenic coastline with pristine beaches and crystal clear sea. Its backdrop are the western edge of the Toulon hills and the Forest of Malaucene which can be viewed from Saint-Cyr’s beach of Les Lecques.
Most Read on Euro Weekly News Driving a short distance inland through the vineyards producing the excellent Bandol wines, we arrive at the charming hill-top villages of La Cadiere and Le Castellet. The former has a peaceful shaded atmosphere with quaint floral streets and spectacular views of the latter and its surrounding countryside. Le Castellet is a more sophisticated tourist attraction, with exquisite boutique shops, small hotels and gourmet restaurants.
Ten kilometres to the west, the coastal road leads to the shipbuilding port of La Ciotat. The long beachside promenade to the east contrasts with the harbourside and its restaurants to the west. Its main claim to fame is as the location of the presentation of the world’s first projected moving picture by the Lumiere brothers in 1895.
This was the birth of the cinema. In 1896 they filmed a train arriving at La Ciotat station. And In 1903, they patented the first known colour film and photography.
Further to the west the dramatic coastline features the towering dramatic cliffs of La Route des Cretes before the descent into the i.
