For many of us, touring to Southern France evokes ideas of idyllic seaside resorts, flowers blowing in breezes, and eating on beautiful seafood. World vacationers typically overlook the picturesque rice paddies, horses, bulls, and ecotourism. You may uncover this particular space with a go to to a area referred to as Camargue. This text shares what Camargue is thought for and why it’s a should see space of Southern France.
The place is Camargue situated?
Camargue is a triangular-shaped pure area in Southern France bordered by the Mediterranean Sea and the 2 arms of the Rhône delta: the Grand Rhône to the east and the Petit Rhône to the west.
Arles is the northernmost metropolis Arles, a coastal metropolis in Southern France is the northernmost metropolis within the area. It’s located on the Rhône River within the Provence Area. Arles is finest recognized for uplifting artist Van Gogh’s work. As soon as a serious metropolis of historic Rome, Arles has a number of historic ruins to see from the period reminiscent of les Arènes d’Arles (Arles Amphitheatre). The amphitheater nonetheless hosts live shows, performs, and bullfights.
The Petit Camargue is a western part of the area and the situation of the city of Aigues-Mortes, inhabitants 8,000. Aigues-Mortes is a medieval metropolis that also has Thirteenth-century partitions and an enormous spherical tower. Town has an extended historical past that dates again to 100 BC and should have been inhabited by the Romans. Salt-mining was practiced lengthy earlier than this time and nonetheless is. The present salt-mining space is known as the Salins du Midi.
At one time, Aigues-Mortes was concerned with French kings. It was a seaport city and a key protection web site. The seventh and eighth crusades to Jerusalem departed from right here throughout the Thirteenth century. Time, water motion, and improvement by people modified the seaport city in order that solely the canals and the city of Le Grau-du-Roi separate it from the Mediterranean Sea.
Protected Pure Space: Europe’s largest river delta.
Camargue’s land space of over 930 km2 (360 sq mi) makes it the biggest river delta in Western Europe. Because it’s a listed-UNESCO reserve, the land and its wildlife are protected. Moreover, this finish of the coast isn’t closely traveled by vacationers. These components have allowed the area to flourish with a lesser-known profile.
The delta has been a hidden pure gem for many years, and the wetlands are a haven for nature buffs within the distinctive wildlife. The area is legendary for wild white horses, pink flamingos, and black bulls, and is dwelling to over 400 species of birds. Guests who come right here quickly uncover that the Camargue is a biosphere. Horseback using excursions go away the paths and take them to the marshlands to get immersed within the surrounding flora and think about uncommon fauna that tends to keep away from roads and trails with visitors.
The animals that graze the marshlands are raised in semi-feral circumstances. They roam throughout the delta in a “manade“, or free-running herd. The animals function a guardian of the herds and the land.
Bulls and horses: an historic custom
Bulls are sometimes used for sport within the delta, and in contrast to Spain, Southern France honors the bull because the hero of the game moderately than hurting or killing it. Course Camarguaise, translated actually as Camargue racing, is a novel recreation of threat during which males known as raseteurs attempt to win a footrace with bulls whereas grabbing and eradicating tassels from their horns.
Bull races occasions are held from spring by way of autumn on the native arenas in and close to the Camargue. The human interactions and video games with the bulls have created a tradition of La Bouvine or the “world of bulls.” The tradition consists of the breeders, the cowboys on their white horses, and the townspeople who run with the bulls at native festivals.
The sleek white horses roaming wild on the delta are from one of many oldest breeds. The native cowboys use a number of the horses for herding and rounding up the black bulls whereas others are semi-wild. Just like the bulls, the horses are revered and revered. They obtain a particular blessing in a ceremony that’s a part of a conventional celebration known as Gardian Day celebrated yearly on the primary day of Might.
Agricultural land
The land right here is thought for greater than bulls and cowboys and their horses.
Not solely have people survived on the delta, they’ve flourished for greater than a thousand years. They did this by constructing dams and drainage, rice paddies, and saltpans which can be nonetheless functioning at the moment. Rice and salt have been harvested right here for the reason that center ages.
The area is good for rising rice due to an abundance of sunshine, contemporary water from the Rhône River, and mistral wind, a dry, chilly wind that blows from the north alongside the decrease river valley towards the Mediterranean Sea. The rice fields cowl about 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) of land.
Purple rice is a well-liked product within the space. A bag of it is a wonderful memento to take dwelling from Southern France. The natural rice is scrumptious in curries and has plenty of wholesome antioxidants.
Vegetables and fruit additionally develop properly right here, and fields of sunflowers add to the area’s gorgeous magnificence. Vineyards have been cultivated within the area for the reason that 14th century. Vin de Camargue isn’t recognized internationally however is fascinating and scrumptious. Most wines from the area are rosés or gris de gris, a shade of pink that’s virtually gray.
Maybe probably the most uncommon wine discovered right here is Vin des Sable. “Sand wine” is produced in sea sands. The sandy soil and salt air velocity up the maturation of the grapes creating a novel taste.
The harvesting of salt has been necessary to this area of Southern France since Roman occasions and stays so at the moment. Salt from the marshes is harvested from the tidal marshes of Aigues-Mortes for chemical, industrial, and pharmaceutical makes use of. The manufacturing begins within the spring when the tides convey contemporary water from the ocean inland by way of a sequence of canals. Mild winds and daylight assist the evaporation course of making the water even saltier. The ultimate combination is unfold out over a clay pond and the floor of the water turns into saturated with a culinary delicacy referred to as fleur de sel or “flower of salt.”
Aigues Mortes can be visited for its historic significance. Take a day to discover the walled medieval city from the 1200s that King Louis IX had constructed. The primary French port on the Mediterranean Sea, the town options medieval structure and was a sanctuary for Protestants throughout the 14th and fifteenth centuries. Large towers served as prisons for residents who denied Roman Catholicism throughout the late seventeenth century. When the French king annexed Provence and Marseille, the city misplaced its buying and selling rights however due to its strategic location, Aigues Mortes retained its navy credentials.
Magnificence, custom, historical past, and wildlife are a number of of the explanations that make the Camargue Area a should see space of Southern France. Come and expertise up shut the proud white horses, stout black bulls, and sleek flamingos in opposition to the backdrop of the pink-hued salt marsh close to the Rhone River and the Mediterranean Sea.
