Although Toulon suffered the ravages of the Second World War, its heritage nevertheless reflects the city's architectural evolution and artistic trends over the centuries.
What you need to know about Toulon
The city, which was then called Telo Martius, took root in antiquity with the Romans who came to fish the Murex, used for the extraction of purple. King Louis XII had the first fortified defence built east of the roadstead. Under the reign of Louis XIV, the bay of Toulon became a major military port. Over the centuries, the bay and its surroundings were the military theatre of confrontation between France and its enemies of the time, first the Spanish and then the English.
Alongside the military port, the commercial port of Toulon is the leading French port serving Corsica, with more than 65% of traffic. The harbour also welcomes cruise ships and provides regular connections to Rome and Istanbul.
The various ports of the roadstead are home to small fleets of small fishing vessels, gradually giving way to pleasure boats, sailing ships and luxury yachts in port.
Between the sea and the mountains, the bay of Toulon can be admired from Mont Faron, allowing you to discover the city and its port, or from the sea thanks to the boatmen and cruise ships. The city of Toulon is also fortunate to be bordered by two famous vineyards of Provence: Bandol and the Côtes de Provence.
Good addresses for a cellar visit near Toulon
To visit a winery in the vicinity of Toulon, you will have to go outside the city. Go and discover these few addresses.
It is necessary to go back more than eight generations to explain the name of this Domain! In 1533, Francis I stayed at noon to celebrate his son's wedding. The Châtelain d'Hyères, Count of Provence, invited the king to hunt deer on his land. Forced by the relief, the King decided to pursue a deer at a walking pace. With his 6'4" he's taking big steps! A very large deer is killed. In homage to François 1st, the inhabitants of Hyères call from the place: "Pas du Cerf".
The family vineyard is located on La Cadière d'Azur and Le Castellet. They cultivate a little more than 30 hectares of vines on stony clay and limestone soils. Mourvèdre and Grenache are their little favourites, they grow them on most of the estate. The vines which accommodate these two grape varieties are 45 years old.
They try to express their wines according to the different terroirs they cultivate. The production amounts to about twenty cuvées in white, red and rosé wines.
Château Gassier is located in the heart of the Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire appellation. The 40 hectares of organically cultivated vines are surrounded to the north by the Sainte-Victoire mountain, to the south by the Sainte Baume massif and to the east by the Aurélien Mountains, which form a showcase for the vineyard. Less than 30 kilometres from the Mediterranean Sea, a semi-continental climate bathes the valley, ideal for the cultivation of vines and the blossoming of grape varieties such as Grenache, Syrah or Vermentino.
Some of these winemakers wines are available Buy wine online