Hats Off to the Lovely Medieval Village of Carcès in Green Provence!

These jolly summer hats were on display at the market in Carcès.

Carcès (pronounced car-says') is a village in the Var, between Cotignac and the Thoronet Abbey. It's quite a large village, laid out in a rectangle, with the different parts of the village separated somewhat from each other. One part, perched on a low hill and called the old town (vieille ville), has a lot of stone walls and stone arches. The "newer" parts of Carcès, though, have narrow streets, vaulted passages and medieval portails and ancient houses and doorways. All in all, Carcès is a very interesting village to visit. One of the most striking things about Carcès are the trompe l'oeil wall murals and the colorful fish-scale wall tiles on some of the houses.

The mairie (town hall) and the library (médiatheque municipale) are located in a quiet little square completely surrounded by buildings, at the site of an old olive-oil mill, the "Huilerie St Charles". In a hidden little passage behind the library, the large iron waterwheel is still in place against the back of the building.

Commerce and Cafés

Carcès has a good variety of shops for every-day needs, including gift/souvenir shops, banks, and a post office.
The selection of terrace cafés seemed a bit limited, but we did find a couple that were nicely acceptable. One is located on the Place des Martyrs de la Résistance (Place de l'Hotel de Ville on the town map), shaded by enormous platan trees and bordered by ancient buildings and the picturesque bell tower with campanile on top and arched passage at the bottom. The fountain here, with a tall column and four carven faces is nicely grungy on one side, accentuating its age.

Saturday morning market day is a real event in Carcès. The market fills several streets in the central part of town, and there's a good variety in the types of stalls, including, clothes, baskets, cooked foods, Provencal and local specialities, olive-wood items, fruits, vegetables, and so on. The nearby Lac de Carcès, about 4 km south of town, is pretty, but doesn't have beaches, swimming, boating or water sports.

Cabro d'Or Legend (Légende de la Cabro d'Or). The legend of the mysterious golden goat is popular in Carcès, with the town's main hotel-restaurant named after it.

Trompe l'oeil Murals

There are four main trompe l'oeil wall mural locations, but smaller ones decorate buildings here and there in the town.
1 - at the Ofice de Tourisme building (corner of Rue Marechal Foch and Ave G. Clemenceau), depicts sacks and barrels being hoisted up the side of the building to be stored in the warehouse.
2 - at the top of Rue Marechal Foch, close to the Office de Tourisme, a group of Royals are standing inside an arched passage.
3 - Rue Hoche at the northern edge of town, a woman hangs clothes on an upper-floor terrace while a man presses grapes around the side of the ground floor.
4 - Rue Florentin Giraud, the long "maison de repos" building has a wonderful collection of different facades, pastel colors, shutters and balistrades, pillars, tiled roofs and drain pipes.
The wall paintings are all done by the same artist: Michel DEGUIL. His phone number is on the "maison de repos" facade.

Fountains

A guidebook from the Office de Tourisme lists 19 fountains on a "Circuits des Fontaines et Lavoirs", similar to the (Gonfaron). Touring Carcès to locate the fountains would be a fun way to see the town, but you would have to mark the locations on a map yourself.

The village of Gonfaron, about 20 km to the southeast, also has a circuit of discovery for their village's 16 ancient fountains, and they have an animal legend with their "flying donkey".

For further information please visit www.beyond.fr/villages/carces.html www.provenceweb.fr/e/var/carces/carces.htm?r=1&Largeu... and www.provenceverte.co.uk/discover/carces.php

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Taken in: France / Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur / Arrondissement de Brignoles / Carcès (show map)

Taken on: September 6, 2022

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France

Green Provence

Carcès

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Hats

Carcès in Provence-Alpes-Cote-d'Azur

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Camera: Nikon D80, f/5.0, 1/40 sec, 60mm (=90mm), ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D80
Aperture:	f/5.0
Exposure Time:	0.025 sec (1/40)
Focal Length:	60mm (35mm equivalent: 90mm)
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Spot
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Ver.1.00
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