Destination: French Riviera | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Viewing French Riviera
Viewing French Riviera Features Essence Time Line Peace & Quiet * The Coast * The Hinterland * The Mountains Famous People |
The Hinterland
One of the joys of a holiday on the Riviera is the opportunity to discover its unspoilt hinterland. A special delight is to ramble through the region's extensive scrub habitat (locally called maquis) of heather, gorse and mimosa, all flecked with wild flowers. The fragrance of herbes de Provence - rosemary, thyme, basil, marjoram and tarragon - fills the warm air, and only the sound of bees, grasshoppers and crickets disturbs the peace. The region's sunshine and favourable climate allow many interesting trees to thrive, including olives, parasol pines, almonds, an abundance of fruit trees and neat, ubiquitous rows of tall cypresses. The shade of the cork oak and chestnut woodlands of the Massif des Maures provides welcome relief from the midday heat and sanctuary for bee-eaters, shrikes, hoopoes and the rare Hermanns tortoise. |
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