Échappées belles – Les villages du Gard

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Échappées belles – Les villages du Gard 20 septembre 2025

Le Gard, entre Cévennes, Provence et Camargue, offre un paysage pluriel où le temps semble suspendu, entre les pierres des ruelles, les rituels d’autrefois et les parfums d’une nature généreuse. Des vestiges préhistoriques aux cités médiévales perchées, en passant par les ponts romains ou les menhirs oubliés, chaque recoin semble garder en secret une part du mystère des hommes. Fêtes votives, contes populaires, artisanats anciens, ici les traditions ne s’exposent pas, elles se vivent et se partagent. Territoire ancré dans son passé, le Gard regarde aussi vers l’avenir et attire artistes et créateurs qui trouvent dans ses lumières dorées et ses paysages contrastés un souffle créatif unique.

… -Hello everyone, I’m delighted to see you again. Thank you for being loyal to our beautiful escapes. This week, I have the pleasure of taking you to the Gard, more specifically to discover its picturesque medieval villages. Located between the Cévennes, Camargue, and Provence, this multifaceted land lives out its traditions every day. Ah, he’s here. -Wait, guys. Oh, Jérôme! What are you doing here? -I came to see you, I wanted to give you a kiss. -Are you okay? -Very good. Hello! -It’s nice to have you stop by. -Do you remember last time? You showed me around the town and the arenas , and I wanted to see this emblematic monument of the department and even the country again. -A monument like that is unforgettable , and you have to come back often. -Great. You look in good shape. -You can’t get any better than that. I’m retiring, soon. -Excuse us, gentlemen, we have to go to work. -That’s true. -Good luck. -The feria starts soon. -Glad to be retired, but I’m leaving this monument with the little “teardrop,” you see. -Would you take me up there? I want to… -Let’s go. -Great. It’s fascinating. -We’ll go through there, you’ll see. -I like it, we’re in the bowels of the arena. -We’re right in the heart. We’ll turn right there. -Wow! -Come on, Jerome… -These are what we call giant steps. -There. -The breathtaking view of both the city and the arena… -We’re about 20 meters above city level. Jérôme, you’re going to explore the department a bit, what are you going to do that’s nice? -I’m going to explore, try to discover these villages nestled in the valleys or perched on the heights. Often medieval villages, but not only. And then try to rediscover this authenticity, here, which is very present, which is linked to many traditions. -We, the city of Nîmes in any case, and I think all the other villages, we are here to really preserve our traditions at every level, cultural, event-related. It’s important for this territory to develop and welcome newcomers who will discover this city, this landscape, this department and say to themselves that it’s a good place to live. -And everyone can bring their own little touch. When you come from outside, you can also bring something. -Absolutely, that’s what makes this department so multicultural. -It was a land of passage, here. -Exactly. Bells. -It’s ringing, I have to go. Welcome to my beautiful escapes and to the villages of the Gard. … -“What do Montclus and Brussels have in common?” -In the heart of the villages of the Gard… -We love beautiful villages, old stones. There are always plenty of details to discover. -Oh dear, yes. What a view! -Jérôme Pitorin lets himself be carried away. -I admit that I really enjoy guiding here. It’s a region that is very popular. I particularly like this part of France. That’s good, I live there. -I’ll take you to the Gardon Gorges. We’re going canoeing. Do you like it? -Yes, I like it a lot. -There are worse working environments. -You surprise me. -Here, we cultivate the village spirit… -You still have quite a few places on the mats, ladies and gentlemen, they are the best seats. Don’t hesitate. -Sauve is a magnificent village, so it’s great to be able to offer companies the opportunity to play in this setting. -It’s a difficult time for me. -And it works. -The horse is a great mediator. It’s a bonding agent. Olé! The children are screaming with excitement. Yeehaw! -When I was little, we always had silkworm farms at home. I grew up in it, so it really stuck with me. -A generous immersion. -We’re going to heat the plants. This prepares them for distillation. It’s really very strong, it’s even spicy on the nose. It’s typical. -I’m testing to see the quality, it’s part of my role. -It’s very important. -WELCOME TO THE GARD! -Well, there you go… We can see your village coming into view. -We’re discovering the village of Montclus, which is magnificent. -I think the name of the village must make a lot of people smile, though. -Yes. -Do you say “Mont-clus”? -Or even by pronouncing the S at the end. -No ambiguity, like that. -There, we’re crossing a relatively unusual bridge. -We call it a submersible bridge, which means that in the event of flooding, which happens on average twice a year, the water passes over it. It’s not hindered by low walls. Sometimes, during severe floods, we have trunks, branches, etc. -It carries a lot of things. -So the water passes through very easily. -So, we’re on the Cèze? -Yes, the river, the Cèze. -The water is clear, right? -It’s transparent, pure, beavers have even settled and are thriving here. It’s really a sign of the river’s good health. -It’s magnificent. When did you arrive in the village? -In 2012. We bought an old ruin. We couldn’t stop pinching ourselves, saying “how beautiful it is.” The village, the river, the people are so nice… It’s been a dream from the beginning. -Was it love at first sight from the first day you visited? -Yes. -I can’t wait to discover the other attractions of your village. How beautiful it is! -Just before you get to the gate, I’d like to show you this plaque. -“September 9, 2002, level reached by the waters of the Cèze.” -The Cèze rose to 12.5 m. You have to imagine the water up to there, over the bridge… -Incredible. Was there a lot of damage? -No casualties, not too much damage. It’s very impressive, but it’s part of our daily lives now. -You can anticipate and make arrangements. -There. But something very personal also happened that day. My water broke and I gave birth to my first baby. -Congratulations on the baby, though, not super cool if you’re the cause of these floods by losing your waters… Laughs. Before the portcullis closes, let’s go back into this village. It’s nice. -We’re crossing the rampart from one side to the other. -It’s full of little details that are truly little gems. -It’s really the oldest part of the village, dating back to 1300-1400. -Super beautiful. There’s a big square there. -It’s the Place des Aires with its church. -A small restaurant-bar. I was saying to myself, “this is definitely not a museum village,” there’s life in this village. No, it’s a village where there are inhabitants. We have a nice restaurant, a school with about twenty students. Birdsong. -We enter the castle grounds. -The castle with its keep. It was built in 1275 by the Marquis de Sabran. Inside this keep, there is a unique staircase built in the style of Saint-Gilles, meaning you feel like you’re inside a snail’s shell. It’s built under a vault. -Can we go into the dungeon? -We’ll go. Be careful, it’s slippery. What’s unique is that these stairs are built on a vault, you can’t see the steps underneath. You can see a vault and each stone is unique, carved. -The view is incredible. Earlier, I mentioned with a smile the name of this village that we never forget, but what is the meaning of Montclus? -It’s built on a hill, high up, to dominate the view, and is surrounded by mountains that give it a secluded location, hence the name Montclus. -OK. Wow! -Here’s the house. -It’s super cute. It’s lovely, I love it. Hello. -Olivier is here. -Hello. -Pleased to meet you. -How are you? -Nice to meet you. -Me too. -You were tinkering, what are you doing? -I’m making a little bench for one of the bedrooms. It’s really DIY, but I like it; it decorates the house; it’s quite nice. -Tell me the story of this house. I imagine it wasn’t like this originally? -Arrived in 2012, a ruin, really. This part had collapsed. A fig tree was growing inside, because they grow everywhere. -What was important to us was to rebuild the collapsed part while respecting the original building. -Honestly, well done. So, what’s there? This building, that, and there’s a garden over there? -Yes, that’s what’s nice. -We’ll show you your room. -With great pleasure. -Here’s your room. -Wow, it’s big, I must say. I love it, it’s cozy. Nice painting, too. -Thanks. -Are you doing it? -Yes, I paint too. It’s kind of my first job. -Nice brushstroke, a bit like William Turner. -He’s one of my mentors, indeed. I love mists. I’ve been painting for 15 years. -You both look radiant. -Enjoy. We’ll let you rest. -See you later. -It’s rolling, thanks to both of you. I’m going to enjoy this pretty view. -The villages of the Gard are medieval villages on rocky spurs. Stridulations. -The villages of the Gard are characterized by the stones found around them , which are white or yellow depending on the geological levels. -These are villages surrounded by scrubland that are full of precious natural resources. -You have to go up there. -To understand what makes the villages of the Gard special , you have to go underground . -A little more. -It’s a few meters deep that you find the stone used to build many villages. -Before, there must have been micro-quarries that were used for the construction of castles. Everyone was free, when building their house, to come and collect from these quarries. -Over there… -I’m mining a layer called a lens, which is probably 300 or 400 meters thick. It’s a material that doesn’t heat up in the sun. It’s a material that’s between 90 million and 100 million years old. It belonged to a huge plateau. – Once covered by a warm, shallow sea, the soil of the Gard is made of layers of limestone sediments that were deposited millions of years ago. It’s this raw material that we find in the village of Lussan. Its 15th-century castle is built with stone from the surrounding area. – The stone we walk on is a stone that is very white in the quarries and which, little by little, becomes grayer due to the lichens that grow on it. Birdsong. The quality of this rock means that it has been transported to quite a few places, notably for the base of the Statue of Liberty, because it’s a stone that lasts over time. … -The mayor of Lussan insists on taking us through the village’s alleyways, because that’s where you can feel the mineral atmosphere that emanates from the small fortified town. -We have a particular architecture, which used these hard and easy-to-carve limestones, with a very light stone color and careful frames. The general color of the places corresponds to the geological formations that are in place. -The villages of the Gard, perched on their rocky spur, conceal hidden treasures. To discover them… -Over there. -Nothing like a life-size treasure hunt. Here, no timer, but questions that invite the stones to speak. -The crosses of Saint Andrew are not like that. -Catherine and her daughter Cyrielle are participating for the second time in the Rally of the Most Beautiful Villages of the Gard. -You see, it’s like that and very straight. Joyful hubbub. It’s not impossible. -It looks a bit like it. -I knew we were going to struggle in Montclus. Okay. Let’s try the town hall square. She laughs. -Although they live in the Gard, it’s an opportunity for the two women to learn even more about the heritage that surrounds them. Church bell. -“What do Montclus and Brussels have in common?” Oh yes, that’s it. “The fountain with the child in Montclus, which is reminiscent of the Manneken-Pis in Brussels, but which doesn’t hold the same thing.” -We can confirm. Notification. We love beautiful villages, old stones, discovering villages in detail and getting off the beaten track of what we find in tourist guides. There are always plenty of details to discover, that’s what’s interesting. It’s a doorbell with a bird on it. Come on, selfie. Camera shutter. -Nickel. -As is often the case in the Gard, the architecture follows the relief, and the houses blend into the landscape. A natural environment with which the inhabitants have learned to live. Régis Dufaud is a farmer. In his plots, he combines plants already present in the scrubland, such as yarrow or lavender. -Nature surrounds the village. Look, there, on foot, this plot, when the people of the village take a Sunday stroll with their families, they have this space where they can find plants. It’s 5 minutes from the village. – A know-how almost forgotten in the Gard that Régis decided to revive. – There, we are on my historic plot. It was an old plot abandoned by the family. I liked it immediately, because aromatic plants were already planted there. Yarrow, like I’m harvesting … It’s a plant known to humanity for tens of thousands of years. It was found in the caves of prehistoric man. It’s mainly a great healing plant. We’re going to take care of it. The idea is to say to myself: “Well, these are plants that grow around La Bastide-d’Engras, I’m going to bring them back into the houses.” – Régis distills his plants in the heart of his village, in his aunt’s house. -We’re going to heat the plants. This prepares them for distillation. Then we’re going to start the distillation. -Very quickly, the magic happens. The plant reveals its secret. A precious oil extracted using steam. -Here, my grandparents produced lavender and they would distill it at the Montclus distillery. Now I’m coming back and it’s creating a sort of revival of these skills that were falling into oblivion. It’s really very strong, it’s even piquant on the nose. It’s typical. You can tell it’s a camphor rosemary that will truly make a magnificent muscle anti-inflammatory. -Each village in the Gard tells a story. A precious heritage, patiently preserved and still very much alive. -Jérôme, shall we take a look at what route we’re taking? A short program for today, it’s going to be fun. -This isn’t a stage of the Tour, reassure me? -No, not too much. We’re doing a little less, but hey… -You’re a seasoned cyclist, not me. -We’re leaving from Monteils, our little hamlet here. We take this tiny road through fields of cherry trees, apricot trees, vineyards, lavender fields… There, it’s a nice long descent into a national forest. We arrive at Saint-Laurent and climb back up to see the Chartreuse de Valbonne. We go back down and arrive at La Roque-sur-Cèze, our destination. -Come on, saddle up. -Let’s go. -It’s just extremely pleasant. -Aren’t we feeling good here? -With these little birds giving us a most musical welcome. Birdsong. Olivier, before having guesthouses like the one at Maison Papillons, did you work as a guide? Not just locally, I think you did long crossings, right? -Yes, I worked for an American bike company for 7 years. I guided all over France. I was the head guide in Corsica, the Alps, the Pyrenees, Provence, and Burgundy. It’s very nice. -Are you a seasoned cyclist? -We try to be. You know, with age… -You don’t seem to be suffering. -It’s okay. I admit that I really like guiding here. It’s a region that I really like. We’re still in the South, we have smells… Look, a cherry orchard right next door. There are lots of things happening, lots of flavors, here. I particularly like this part of France. That’s good, I live here. -Yes, it’s not a random choice. -Exactly. On your left, you’ll have a small rose garden with the church behind. -It’s vast. -It’s one of the most beautiful charterhouses in Europe, a very large one. Around the charterhouse, you have a lot of hiking trails, too. What do you think of a little ice cream in the square? How about that? -It’s an excellent idea. -Look at this. We’ll be comfortable here. -HELLO. -Here are the supplies we need. Is this homemade ice cream? -Organic, artisanal ice cream, yes. Made in Ardèche. -I’ll try hazelnut. -A scoop of hazelnut? -Yes, please. -I’ll have passion fruit. Come on. -Have a nice rest of the day. -Have a good day, goodbye. -You see, the cobblestones on the ground? They come from the river. They made the streets with cobblestones. Opposite you, you have the church, which dates from the 19th century, so quite recent. There’s a very old church at the top of the village, where we’re going. -It’s charming. -It’s superb, isn’t it? Here, we’re really in a very old part of the village. At the very top, we’ll arrive at the castle. On your left, you have the medieval castle and adjoining it, the first church that was built. -It’s an integral part of the building. -Exactly. We’re going back down into the village. There’s a must-see in La Roque, the Sautadet waterfalls. -Let’s go see that. -Here we are, the Sautadet waterfalls. You’ll see that there are large slabs of limestone that have been carved out by time and that form large holes. -The limestone has turned into Gruyère cheese, a little, in fact. -That’s a bit like it, yes. You see, that’s where it starts, the formations, the large holes. -I see there are red flags. No swimming, you can understand why, when you see the current… It’s not a good idea to venture into the water. -Every year, people jump into the water and it’s a cauldron. It remains very dangerous, there are accidents every year. At the end of this meander, which lasts 200 or 300 meters , there is the beach where everyone normally goes to swim. It’s still a unique geological formation. It’s very impressive, this limestone, these little waterfalls falling like that. In any case, it’s a site that’s very popular in the region. It’s one of the remarkable sites in the Cèze Valley. -I really like this kind of site because it’s alive. In a year, the landscape will have changed a little. I always find it very impressive what nature can produce. -It’s different every season, it’s incredible. I suggest we go back to the Butterfly House. We have a short 15-kilometer ride, not necessarily hilly, afterward, we have a little dinner. -Planned there? -Do you fancy it? -I think I’ll go home at 150 km/h. -Let’s go. -Hello! How are you? -How are you, Caro? I didn’t expect to see so many people. -We invited the whole village. -It’s great! You’ve brought together a lot of foodies. -Lots of friends, people from here… -How often do you do this? -2 to 3 times a week. We have a chef at home, as you can see. They’re working, you can see them through the window. -I’m not going to resist the urge to go and see her do it. -Go ahead. -I’ll be right back. -There’s the olive oil over there. -Good evening. -GOOD EVENING. -I’m always curious about what’s going on in the kitchen. As apparently, you left it a bit of a mystery earlier by saying there were lots of surprises… -Yes, we do surprises. -Do you work as a couple? -Yes. -The idea is to go… -We do nomadic cooking. We travel. When people are nice, we go. -Is your cooking in the same direction, the same approach as what Olivier and Caroline do? -We share a love of the land, and a desire to support the people who bring it to life year-round. That’s why we work a lot with local producers, people we often know who work well, who pay attention to what they do. We’re also keen to showcase local cuisine, that of our travels, of our origins. -You don’t have a Gard accent. -Not at all. -Where are you from? -From Saint-Etienne. Luckily I don’t have a Saint-Etienne accent. -It’s that particular accent. We like accents. And you, where are you from? -From Lyon. -Not very far. That’s good, they’re not two cities that… -No, not at all. -I’ll let you work. I can’t wait to taste your work. -See you later. In the small bowls, you have labneh. On top, there’s an olive oil from our friends in Ardèche. On top, a blend of spices called dukkah and artichoke focaccia and sage from the garden. Enjoy. -Thank you. It’s original. -I hope you enjoyed this bike ride ? -I loved it. Really. The scenery and also the enthusiasm you put into it. We can tell it’s something you’re passionate about, cycling and the region, that you know it well. You put your heart into it, in any case. -In any case, thank you. -Bravo, Maison Papillons. Bravo to you both, for what you’ve accomplished, achieved, through talent, but also physical investment and passion. I wish you many wonderful things in the future and I’ll come back to see you. -THANK YOU. Rooster crowing. Hooves. -Gently. Gently, it’s good. -That noise in the alleys, I find it extraordinary. It’s music, for me. Walking. Good morning. Ho. Good morning, guys. -Like every morning for the past 10 years, in the village of Saint-Hilaire-d’Ozilhan, school pickup is by horse-drawn carriage. … -I think our children are taking ownership of their territory and life together. It’s common. The horse is a great mediator. It’s a social mediator, a creator of bonds. Walk. Walk. Whoa. -For us, it’s great, and for them too. Getting out of school and being able to visit the village, and above all, learning to drive, with the animals, etc. It gives them a little independence. Neighing. Hooves. -Slow down a little. There. A little to the left. A little to the right. Right. That’s good. Slow them down, gently. There. There. -Dominique Lacroix, Doumé, for the children, was trained at the Haras Nationaux driving school. -I was a mason. It was a wonderful job , but I felt like I was going to work every day. For about fifteen years now, there hasn’t been a day when I get up feeling like I’m going to work. It’s wonderful. Joyful, childish hubbub. We’re even going to wake up the stones. Olé! The children scream with excitement. Yeehaw! -He passes on his passion to the children. -Hola! Ho. Ho. -Will the horse-drawn carriage become the school bus of the future? In any case, that’s the choice of the mayor of Saint-Hilaire-d’Ozilhan. -At the table! I know children from other villages who would like to come to school in Saint-Hilaire because there’s the horse-drawn carriage, the social bond, and also, it’s ecological. Having the horse-drawn carriage forces people to slow down. It brings joy, pleasure, we hear the children shouting, singing, it brings life to the village. -ALLEZ SAINT-HILAIRE! ALLEZ SAINT-HILAIRE! Children’s cries and songs. … -Here and there, in the Gard, initiatives are flourishing to bring life to small villages. In Sagriès, Pascale, a resident, has revived her town’s old bakery . An adventure that began for her a year ago, after a career change. -We’re at 235, it needs to rise to 300 to be able to bake the second batch. My brother converted this shed into a bakery. He was looking for someone to transform his flour into bread , and I jumped at the chance to join the family business. Creating this bakery in the center of the village has also allowed her to connect with the locals. -Pascale sells her bread at P’tit Moutas, the village’s community café. -Hello. The bread is arriving. -HELLO! -Great. It’s wonderful, it feels good, we have our bread, we come for a drink, we meet friends, we make friends. We help each other out. It has really changed the life of the village. -The existence of the community café is partly due to François Reboul, Pascale’s brother, to whom the 250 inhabitants of the village owe it. After restoring his old tractor shed, he suggested that the residents imagine a collective project. Two years later, the community café Le P’tit Moutas was born. -Catherine, tile… -You, that, there… -Yes! Bravo. -This desire to create a place of sharing was also born from François’s desire to spend time with his father. -Each volunteer can suggest an activity. The cards were still something that was close to my heart. It also corresponds to my dad, to other people. It’s nice to meet here on Thursday afternoons. -The café, run by volunteers, opens every day of the week at the end of the afternoon. This time, it’s Florian’s turn to run the bar. -I got involved because, as we are new inhabitants of the village, it helps me to be integrated into the village. They are all our neighbors now, my friends. It’s nice. -And so that everyone can come, the price of drinks is free. -Each person gives the importance they want instead, in the sense that I live right next door, I live alone, so I’m willing to give a little more money. There’s the emotional aspect that comes into play in the price we give. It seemed very interesting to us. For now, it’s working really well. -Last year, 650 people came to the café. A success that the volunteers didn’t expect and that they hope to repeat every year. -I’ll take you to the Gardon Gorges. We’ll go canoeing. Do you like it? -Oh yes, I like it a lot. Is this your region? Were you born around here? -No, I arrived here when I was 8. I couldn’t see myself leaving here. Look at this. Without being chauvinistic, it’s the most beautiful region in the world. But before that, I want to take you to visit a special place. I hope Arnaud is there. -The buildings are sublime. Wow! -Arnaud? -Yes. -Hello! -Are you okay? -I’m fine. I’m bringing you a visitor. -Hello, Jérôme. Nice to meet you. -We passed over the Saint-Nicolas bridge and I wondered if you could show us around your place, especially to see the Saint-Nicolas bridge from up there. -With pleasure. -The priory itself, from what I’ve seen, is magnificent. In fact, it’s a multi-building. -There are 7 buildings. 4 are listed as historical monuments, including one in its entirety, the church, and 3 on the facade and roof. It wasn’t like that at all when I took it over, but as soon as I saw it, I started dreaming of reviving the place by opening it to the public, creating guest houses, catering, and hosting weddings and cultural events. The best thing is to visit. Birdsong. … -Originally, what was it? Did it depend on an abbey here? -It was a brotherhood of builder monks called the Pontist monks. It was inhabited from 960. -Wow, OK. -But the peak of the site, of the Saint-Nicolas priory, was the construction of the bridge. There was a royal toll. Saint Louis directly collected the passage toll. -Okay. -Come and see. Here is the deconsecrated church. -I find that the conservation of the place… I don’t know if it’s been renovated much, but… -As the building is listed in its entirety, I haven’t touched anything. -Okay. You can see that on each building, there have been several lives. You have the Campagnac stone, which is a hard, solid stone, difficult to work, which is at the bottom. The equipment, when it was raised… Above, we’re on Vers stone. It’s the stone from the Pont du Gard, which is much more crumbly, like sand and limestone, which cost much less to work. All the raised areas are in Vers stone. Come on, I’ll take you to my room. The goal isn’t to show you my room but the balcony and the view. Go ahead. -Oh my! What a view! -There, we’re on the 12th-century bridge. -It’s extraordinary! -We’re really on a strategic promontory clinging to the rock. You could say that the landscape hasn’t changed since Cro-Magnon man. We’re in the heart of a major French listed site, in a Natura 2000 zone. We’re a biosphere reserve, fauna and flora, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We have many constraints but significant protection. -Okay. -Now, I’m going to take you for a little canoe trip along the water. -Thank you, Arnaud, for your welcome and congratulations on your commitment to bringing these places to life and reviving them. -Thank you for coming. -With pleasure. It’s a nice surprise for me. We’re going to be comfortable here. It’s fresh. -Let’s go! We’ll start with a little rapid. Hop there. -Nice! -There are worse working environments. -You surprise me. It’s beautiful there. -It’s magnificent. -Come on! Woohoo! Oh my… There, we have cliffs that were clearly shaped by the river when it was higher. -The water rises quite regularly. Just now, we saw the Saint-Nicolas bridge. In 2002, the water rose 1 m above it. -Wow! -What’s even more incredible is to think that in 3 weeks, the section we’re on will be completely dry. -In 3 weeks? -Yes. We have a rather unusual network on this river. Below 5 m3 of water per second, the Gardon will go underground. From Dions, about twenty kilometers upstream from here, and as we descend, we’ll find resurgences. -OK. You who have your business here, it must be complicated to have to constantly manage the water level. -The Gard is known for its Cévennes episodes , so the river can rise very high very quickly. We are well helped by technology and certain flow monitoring systems. In the summer, we have resurgences that allow us to guarantee a constant flow on the lower part of the river and to practice our activity fairly serenely all summer long. -How long has it been since you started your business here? -I started very young, in my teens, as an employee. I was lucky enough to buy this structure 5 years ago. Bubbling rapids. We arrive under the Collias bridge, an old suspension bridge that was renovated in 1906 to have its current shape. We will pass underneath it. What is very beautiful, under this bridge, is that we have a lot of swallows’ nests. -Ah yes, I see them flying. -And here we are. -Nice! -Did you have a good time? -Yes, I loved the scenery and the crystal-clear water. -Are you okay, isn’t it too steep? -It’s okay, it’s pleasant. There are little shaded spots, it feels good. -With the lovely smells of the scrubland. -Yes, we’re in lush vegetation. -I’ll take you to the Collias hermitage. It’s a little gem, well hidden in the scrubland. Look at it. -It’s beautiful! -The Collias hermitage is a place occupied since prehistoric times and has been restored by an association. -Already, just the path… -There’s work to be done. -Oh dear… -And here’s the hermitage. The hermit lived… -In this converted cave. Were there several here? -Yes. The most famous was the hermit Saint Veredemus, around the year 700, who ended up as Bishop of Avignon. -Oh yeah? He lived in a hermitage here, in this troglodyte cave, and he was appointed afterward? -That’s right. -It must have been an incredible life change for him. -I wasn’t there to see it. -Damn. You’ll give him my regards if you see him between now and then. -Since his death, many hermits have succeeded one another until the 19th century. -We have a clear view there. -It’s only the beginning, you’ll see. -Is that Collias? -Yes, that’s the village of Collias. -It’s really pretty. -With its church. In the far background, you can see Mont Bouquet. It’s a great climbing spot. You take off from there in a paraglider. -Okay. Collias, is that your village? -I’m from Sagriès, the village just behind. I grew up there. But my favorite village is Collias. -Yes, it’s a village with lots of attractions, at the foot of the cliffs, the Gardon… -Yes. We also call it the Gard, officially, but we affectionately call it the Gardon. -OK. Thank you very much, Antoine. -With great pleasure. -It was very nice, this discovery. -The Cévennes was the heart of silk in France. We have houses that generally have at least 3 floors. The upper floor was reserved for silkworms, the magnans. These are magnaneries. They were also formerly called the silkworm apartments. -The village of Monoblet is one of the high places of silk in the Cévennes. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the golden age of the spinning mills, up to 6 workshops supported nearly 200 women in the town. That’s where Michel Costa comes from. -When the silk industry collapsed, 130,000 jobs disappeared. It’s enormous. The country was completely drained of its blood, in other words. -This retired agricultural engineer is now trying to revive the industry. -My mother and grandmother were silk spinners. When I was little, we always had silkworm farms at home. I grew up in it, so it really left its mark on me. -It all started with the planting of a tree that was almost forgotten in France: the mulberry tree. Its leaves are the silkworm’s only food. Today, with his daughter Camille, he is trying to develop its cultivation again. -We’ll finish this field, and then there’s another one to harvest? -We’ll have a second harvest in about 5-6 days. -This mulberry tree is the white mulberry. It was imported in the 15th century from China. It’s a real carbon sink. In terms of global warming, it’s a firebreak tree. -I still have a researcher’s mind, and I find that the mulberry tree adapts perfectly to this new way of looking at agriculture and ecology, even, in the broader sense. There are still quite a few left. I wanted to take up the torch, and here I am, back on my land, on my parents’ land. I think that today, I simply couldn’t do without it. -Camille created a nursery so that silkworm breeders can easily find trees locally. -This is a seedling grown from the seeds of our Kokuso 21 blackberries . It’s a species that comes from Japan and is very adapted to the region and also very interesting because its leaves are quite large. It saves time for the breeders. -11 silkworm breeders are now trying to revive production in the Cévennes. Church bells. Adeline is one of them. -The younger the worms are, the more tender the leaves are. In schools here, each child receives a shoebox with its little worms that they take home, which they have to take care of. I did it when I was 8 years old with my teacher. I loved it. I think it’s partly thanks to that that today, I raise silkworms. So, the latest ones, the latecomers… As long as we have little worms like that, which are a little frozen, we don’t forget, between 12 and 48 hours… -Adeline raises 20,000 silkworms. She receives them when they are barely 10 days old. She will watch over them for 5 weeks. -The silkworm is so fragile and its breeding is so meticulous that we don’t say silkworm breeding, we say silkworm education. It’s funny. We are specialized silkworm educators. -In 30 days, the worms will multiply their weight by 10,000, until they are ready to spin their cocoon. The cocoon is in fact a small spool of thread in one piece which can reach a length of 1500 m. It is inside that the worm transforms into a butterfly to become the silkworm moth. -Here are the little guys. You’re hungry, there. When they’re in the big freze, the last age where they eat a lot, there, we have to make 4 meals a day. It’s a bit like having babies at home because you have to feed them every 6 hours. It’s still a bit of a marathon season. They won’t leave anything. I’m a bit like them, the calm, being in my plantations. I think it’s a job that makes sense because it’s a breeding that is absolutely not polluting. We’re still very lucky to be in the Cévennes because this very fragile little creature does not tolerate any treatment. Every year, when I start the season again, I say to myself: “What is this pleasant smell?” I quickly realize that it’s the mulberry leaf, already, which doesn’t look like it but has a smell. It’s the mixture of worms and the leaf. I’ll spare you the rest. If you put your finger in it, afterward, you only talk about it. It becomes completely obsessive. I’ve prepared some stuffed mulberry leaves for you. -By choosing silk, Michel, Camille, and Adeline are betting on a sustainable and rooted future. A choice from the heart to keep the Cévennes alive. -Super good! … -Come on, come on! -Ladies and gentlemen, hello. Emmeline? -Yes. Pleased to meet you. -Are you okay? Oh yes, it’s 3 here. -Welcome to the Manade du Gardon. The sorting has started, so they’re going to select the animals for the day. Then we’ll go to the commune of Boucoiran, where the festival is taking place. -Is that where it’s happening? -Yes. Here’s the herdsman. -Jérôme. Pleased to meet you. -Jérôme too. -Impeccable. -Have you sorted your animals? -Yes. We haven’t sorted everything because we have some bulls that have been recalcitrant. They’re not morning people, a bit like you. We’ll try to get them to come because we’re one short , but if we can’t, we’ve brought an extra bull just in case. -How many are you planning to bring in total? -I have 4 bulls for the bullfight, 4 bulls for this morning, 4 bulls for this evening. -Oh yeah… -Come on, let’s be right back. -See you soon. -Hi! -Do you work with Jérôme? -I’m an amateur herdsman. It’s all volunteers, and we come to help Jérôme, whether on the manade or at these events, to perpetuate the traditions. -713 for the cane. Picasso, Vatou… -Each bull has a name. Jérôme knows how to recognize them because every day, he feeds them, he takes care of them. When you see them like that, you get the impression that all bulls are black with horns, but each one has a particularity. -Come on, Momo, your place. Your place, Momo! Momo, your place. -There are some who are a bit reboussiers. -A bit what? -A bit reboussiers, a bit stubborn. -It’s a local term, okay. The herdsmen shout. -Jérôme, are you up for going to that abrivade? -I’ll leave you… -Here we go. -Take me there! It’s going to be a first for me, you know. -Have you never done Camargue traditions like that? -No, never. Do you consider yourself in the small manade category? -Yes. I don’t come from a family of herdsmen. My manade will be 20 years old in 2027, so it’s starting to get a bit old now, but for me, I’ll always be a small manade. -How did you end up in this adventure? -I’ve always loved animals. My grandfather had sheep and I already had this passion with my uncle who took me to the Camargue races. Going to the manade, seeing the work of the manadier, the guards, the animals. Being in contact with the animals, right away, it changes a lot of things. When you give happiness, when you arrive in the villages and you see all these young people waiting for it like the messiah… It’s the village festival once a year, there are bulls, horses… We give happiness to the people, too. -Is it going to happen on the road? -That’s it. -It’s amazing. Let’s go see. -Here we go. -Do you want something? -No, it’s fine, thank you. -A nice little sausage, what. Hop there. Voted! Thank you, chief. -Traditionally, the departure is from the meadows to the village arenas. Here, we are a little further from the Petite Camargue, so not all the communes have arenas and the pastures are not necessarily next to where the festival is taking place, so it goes from truck to truck and lunch is on the road. Come on, it’s about to open up. -Oh dear… -Take the side! Take the sides! -Jérôme directs the riders so as to reinforce the abrivade a little, to slow it down a little. Up ahead, you have charcoal burners who are there to push the horses aside, to make the bulls escape. The riders must make the horse defend itself. -So they challenge them? -That’s it. -Oh dear… -It’s the entrance to the village so the charcoal burners are going to attack a little more. Western background music. … Bells ringing. -Bravo! -It was lively. -Yes, but everything is back to normal. -60,000 “Momo” per second… -Oh yeah? I could see you trying to boss everyone around a bit. -It was complicated at the start, but we made up for it. -You were heckled. The young people had a lot of fun coming to tease you. -Good spirits. -Come on, Jérôme, let’s go have a drink. -We’re reasonable. -To our traditions. -To your traditions and to this good atmosphere of festivities, of reunions. -It’s festive but it’s also family-oriented. … We’re going to position ourselves for the bandide. It’s the opposite of this morning. Originally, it was the bulls who left the arenas and returned to their pastures. Here, in Boucoiran, it’s truck to truck. The bulls will start from the back and there, the horses will have to slow down to be able to take the turn without taking any risks. This is the place where the young people will be able to catch the bull and stop it. -There are some, like this morning, who will come and disturb… -This morning, they were charcoal burners. They push the horses aside to make the bulls leave. Tonight, they’re attrapaïres. They’re going to catch the bull to stop it. -By the horns? -Yes. It’s a challenge between the youth and the bull. -Yes… Do you have children? -Yes. That’s my little one. -The little one! Hello. Are you going to risk catching it too? Oh… -It’s starting. Festive music. … Gunshot. Here we go! -Watch out! Watch out! -Oh dear… Take cover! -There’s been a bit of a reboussier over there. -Oh dear! -These events bring the village to life. It’s the time when everyone from the village gets together and celebrates, has a good time. It also allows people to meet the inhabitants of the neighboring village. When it stops, in October, until the end of February, we just wait for one thing: for it to start again. We’re in a total depression. Laughter. -Can you go to Brico Saucisse afterward to give them a boost? They’re here. -Yes, it’s planned. -In Sauve, the atmosphere is festive. For the 4th time, the village is hosting the Label Rue festival. -We said 3 m. -For two and a half days, the streets of this town of 2,000 inhabitants become an open-air stage. -Validated. -On the organizational side, Emilie ensures the smooth running of the festival. As general manager, she’s the one who orchestrates all the logistics and technical aspects. -Otherwise, we’ll take them down. -Yes. We decided to make a construction site theme because we learned a few months ago that the town hall was under construction at the time of the festival. So, we said to ourselves that rather than endure this event, we developed everything around this idea. The whole team is on the ball with the final details. There are quite a few. We just have to finish the job. -There are about fifty of them running the festival behind the scenes. Volunteers without whom nothing would stand. Benoît is one of them, always there. The energy of the festival is also his. -It will last. Today, culture is also dying a little, so it’s pretty cool to give of yourself and your energy to keep this kind of initiative alive. -At the Label Rue festival, the organizers have a golden rule: the artists sleep at the locals’ houses. -Oh yeah… -Vladimir and Jonah discover the house where they’ll be living for 2 days. -Damn, I hadn’t seen it, it’s huge. Look, there’s a diamond, man. -Too good. -It’s Franck Michel who welcomes them. This former trapeze artist and founder of the famous company Les Arts Sauts settled in Sauve 42 years ago. -I bought this house for 3000 euros. The whole part between this wall and there was in ruins. All the floors, the whole wall, right up to the vault, it had collapsed. -Oh yeah… It’s important for us, those of us who work on the relationship with the public, to be able to have time off to meet people and discover pretty crazy places like this house. It’s pretty inspiring too. -Yes, we’ll come back if you want us. -Welcome. -Very good. -You’re about to discover your place to sleep! It’s emergency housing. I’m quite welcoming to people who need it, battered women or battered men, migrants, artists who are here for a week, a day, three days… There are 5 places, a double bed. And then, you have the great view, the fresh air, from the terrace. -It’s quiet. -And we go downstairs because we have to go to work. Hubbub. -Change of scenery: in a few hours, the village streets have been transformed. -Hop! So, that’ll be 7.50 euros, please. -The festival is launched and the atmosphere is already in full swing. Vibrations of a saw. In two and a half days, about fifteen professional companies will perform in Sauve. -You still have quite a few places on the carpets. They’re the best, don’t hesitate. Percussion. … I’m very happy when I see that it works and when I do it in my village, it’s a bonus x 100. As a Sauvaine, I’m so happy to see people I know mingling with other people and all that together, it creates a beautiful energy. Applause. Cheers. -What was stolen from us, however, no one gave back to us. It was stolen from us. And we’re the ones who paid the price. Shutter. Cash! – There, you see, there are attitudes. I caught a little look, a little smile, a little emotion… It’s great. – Pierre-Julien also lives in Sauve and like every year, he puts his photography talents at the service of the festival. … A look that helps tell the story of the event from the inside. – Here, we are not spectators but actors in the life of the village. It’s a festive village and these are moments of shared life. It’s part of our wild DNA. Choir and handclaps. … -No, that’s not OK. All it takes is a face, a noise, a smell… -AND WE ARE TIED… -Like a tree takes root. -LIKE LOCHEES… LIKE A ROSE WITH THORNS. -It’s beautiful, thank you very much. Cheers and applause. … -Tatiana participated in the selection of artists for this edition. And the bet was successful. -Sauve is a magnificent village, so it’s true that it’s great to be able to offer companies the opportunity to play in this setting and to offer shows that can also talk about social issues, powerful subjects. We don’t realize it, but putting on a festival is a huge investment, a lot of time, and when we see that, we say to ourselves that yes, with great pleasure, we ‘ll do it again next year. It’s really worth it. -Vroom, vroom… Techno music. -The Label Rue festival is ending, but the spirit remains. That of a village where culture is lived in the street and close to the people. -Thank you, have a good day. -Hello, ladies and gentlemen, ticket control, please! -Hello . -Great. -Thank you. Train whistle. … -Anduze! -Have a good day. Hubbub from the station platform. -Hello, Jérôme! -How are you, Céline? -How are you? -Great. Richard, you too? -Have a good trip? -Are you welcoming me with beautiful sunshine? -Yes, yesterday wasn’t like that. So this trip? -Very nice, this little train! I almost stopped in the dining car but I told myself I was expected. -We’re going to visit Anduze. -Come on, let’s go! -There’s a very beautiful view of the village. Anduze, is that necessarily associated with pottery? -Of course. -The potter to my right and his daughter, a potter, aren’t going to tell me otherwise? -Yes, since pottery has existed since the Gallo-Roman era and after, in modern times, it was the famous Anduze vase that made the town known throughout the world. This is the Clock Tower that was preserved during the destruction of the Anduze ramparts. The entire town was fortified. It was destroyed in the 15th century and the Clock Tower was preserved. What’s interesting is the meridian. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., it gives the time every quarter of an hour. It shows the solstices, the equinoxes and what’s more, it shows the entry into the signs of the zodiac. -Very good! I really like these little facades. They have a lot of charm with the shutters. -It represents the village a bit: little houses all stuck together. -Are you families of potters from generation to generation? -Me personally, no. But Céline, yes… -Your mom? -That’s right. He’s the extra. I’m the 17th generation. -17th! You don’t make them. -Clay preserves. So, we pass by a fresco. I don’t know if you recognize it, but my dad is making a vase, drawn on the wall. -Was that a tribute to you? -No, not even. They just looked for documents and we provided them with photos and that’s it. I was in the lot. -I see your name. Are these the pots you make? -There. -Are you the famous people of the village? -Among others… -I would even say that I’m very lucky to be with you. -Yes, yes… -Shouldn’t we go to the workshop? I can’t wait to see it. -With pleasure! -All your models are on display? It’s really beautiful. With all these colors, it’s magnificent. And now we understand the original use of these pots. Is it to put fruit trees in them? -Yes, citrus fruits. In fact, in Anduze, the pottery made large utilitarian pieces, oil jars to store olive oil, and when the time came for the great voyages with Louis XIV, who began to import exotic plants, including citrus fruits, all the nobles of the region wanted to do as the king did. Here, as vases were made, they put the citrus fruits in the vases. The tradition began like that. -Historically, the creator was Mr. Boisset, and the last Boisset in the family was my grandmother’s grandfather, and at the time, women, when they married, could not keep their maiden name. Since all the vases had Boisset written on them, to keep this name, we called ourselves Les Enfants de Boisset. -Taking over, was that obvious to you? Were you always prepared to do that? -No! I immediately went far away. I spent 10 years at the Faïencerie de Gien. And then in 2019, on my birthday, they called to wish me a happy birthday and I said to them: “It’s good that you called, I’ve decided. In a year, I’ll come back.” -Oh the smile! The relief! -She can tell me every day, it gives me the same impression… -In one year, I bought my house, I found my sports club, my fire station because at the time I was a volunteer firefighter and I arrived here, my life was already organized. -And we found her a job. -I already had my job, then. -Oh yeah! It’s very beautiful. Hello, sir. It’s artisanal, in fact, but in large quantities, you know. -They are competent anyway. They were well brought up. -Hats off! -I’ve been working here for 26 years , so it’s natural. -He arrived, he was very small! -Oh yeah? Did he fit in the pots? -He was 16. -Almost! -What are the characteristics of Anduze pottery? -For 300 years, the traditional vase has been this one: a foot, a collar, garlands with roses and a crest with the family name. -Here, the boys are jaspering: hand-spraying the oxides. Maxime is applying the green to the crest and Jérôme is applying the manganese oxide which will make the garland brown. -Yes, because here, it’s not obvious… The colors aren’t there. They’re revealed during firing? -Exactly. I started a vase for you, it’s still rough. I pre-glued the foot. If you want to try it, we’ll put on the apron and the idea is to make it look like Lucie’s. -It will be much better! You don’t have to dig, eh… -You have to wet it well. -With a sponge, it’s easier, in fact. -You have to press hard. We’ll break the edge, then. -Not too much, but we’ll try with the sponge. We’ll be able to round it off a little with that. We’ll grind it down. It smooths it out… It’s a pleasant sensation. -The idea is to flare it out a little with your hand, like that. You’re going to turn… -Flare, then… -And make it flat. -Don’t turn too fast, or it might go off. -It’s not easy to control the speed, there. I have a heavy foot, as the other one would say. It flared out a little… Poh, poh, poh! Off the road! I… It’s a difficult moment for me… I had projected myself into your profession. -Do as you wish! -No, I can’t do as I wish with such a beautiful piece. Right now, I’m… Yes, we’ll call it the Picasso collection and that’s it. Are we still friends? -Yes… Laughter. Right now, we’re going to open the kiln that was fired three days ago. -Let’s open the safe! Oh! Superb! There’s a real brilliance, it’s magnificent. Jingle. “Echappées belles”! Personalized! It makes me very happy. -If it makes you happy… There. -I feel like I’ve won a trophy. Thank you both! -Thank you. Jingle bells. … -Like every spring, in the early morning, the bells ring in the village of Valleraugue. … At the head of the procession, Thierry, one of the shepherds, leads the flock. -We start from the bottom and arrive at an altitude of 1200 m. The summers are getting hotter and hotter and we’ve been forced to bring the sheep up to the cool air. I wasn’t even born when they were doing the transhumance. There were thousands of sheep. It’s a day of celebration! Bleating and bells. -The flocks of sheep leave the valley for the slopes of Mount Aigoual. Bells. In one day, the shepherds and their 900 sheep will climb about fifteen kilometers. -Come on, girls, come on! -At the back of the flock, Lucie, also a breeder, watches over her flock. -The flock with the red clover, which is ours, are Tarasconnaises. They’re quite large. And the Caussenarde des Garrigues is a sheep that actually comes from here. They’ll be a little smaller, with small ears, and above all, without horns. … They’ve been spending several dozen, hundreds of years in the same place. We see these traces in the landscape. They’re often associated with hiking trails. Oh, girl, are you tired? -After several hours of walking, it’s time for the shepherds to take a break. An opportunity for them to spend some quality time with family and friends. -Want a piece of sausage? The preparations are sometimes a little stressful , but once they get going, it’s a nice day. A little tiring, but nice! It’s still a transition day. We know we’re going to lighten our workload a little, all the same, for two months. It’s a cycle, you know. It’s really the continuation of the seasons. … -1st stop on this transhumance, the mountain village of L’Espérou. The shepherds and their flocks will meet the students from the surrounding communities who have come especially for the occasion. Lawnmower engine. -Once a year, the sheep will be clipped, with Pierrick, to keep their temperature down. And it cleans them. It doesn’t hurt them. It’s like going to the hairdresser. It’s important to talk about it with the children because they are the generations to come. They are the next consumers, the next breeders perhaps. Those who will make the world of tomorrow. -In the heart of the small Cévennes villages, other traditions are perpetuated. At the foot of the hamlets stretch numerous terraces. The Cévennes sweet onion has always been cultivated there. -I’ve been planting them since I was 10 or 12 years old. I’ve never missed a year, so yes, we’re starting to know how to plant them. You just have to be patient to bend down. -Vincent Garmath is one of the 70 farmers who produce sweet onions. -All the handling is done by hand. Whether it’s sowing, transplanting, pulling, and sorting. It’s still a luxury product. We’re proud to produce it in our Cévennes with a small area and long may it last! -So, to make this culinary treasure even more known… -Today, what we’re going to make is a spread with young Cévennes sweet onion shoots. It’s a very mildly spicy onion, very sweet, very juicy. -Jérome, also a producer, decided to offer workshops for tourists. -Sour cream, lemon, olive oil… -A tablespoon of each? -Yeah. -Perfect. -We didn’t have any tourist activity around the product in the area and my goal is still to bring people to the region. The sweet onion is a perfect product for that because it has a strong identity. It was replanted just a month ago. -Before tasting the recipe, Jérôme takes advantage of his dual role as a mountain guide. He takes his clients to discover this unique region, with landscapes shaped by the villagers. -Terrace farming is very old. It’s back to the 12th century. When the Benedictine monks came to settle in the Cévennes, they built dry stone walls to hold back the earth and allow it to be cultivated. We call them ferries. -Thanks to the sweet onion, this rural heritage has survived. -Here we are on a seed onion plot. The onion is growing, it makes an umbel. It’s a multitude of flowers and in this flower, we’ll have 3 little seeds. -And to end the day well, Jérôme has a surprise in store for his customers. -Here’s a little corner of paradise! -WOW! -But before sleeping, a tasting is in order. -So? -It’s fresh, it’s good. -The young onion shoots, there’s quite a bit of green. Which brings freshness to the product. -It’s nice. -It was a day that took us on a journey to the Cévennes, to the terroir. I’ve been here before and I’ll be back with pleasure. -In the Cévennes, history is written as much on the village walls as in the earth. A living heritage where men have been working with nature for centuries. Stridulations. … -(Little cherry… Shh… You mustn’t say it…) Hello, hello. -Are you well? -Great, and you? -Yes. -It’s always 3 here. -Yes, we’re greedy. -Picking cherries, then? -Yes, look! -They’re beautiful! -Will you give me a hand? -With great pleasure. -We’re having a beautiful day today! -A very beautiful day! Do you have any pickers here for the season? -Yes, already, we’re with family. I’m with my brother. And then, I have some young people, students, who come to give us a hand for the day. Look how beautiful they are… That’s magnificent. -I’m testing them, though, to see the quality, that’s part of my role. -It’s very important. And then, the ripeness, we’re really… They’re crunchy, aren’t they? -They’re delicious. I’d already had one, but that’s between us… How long have you been doing this job as a market gardener? -I started as a student. I’ve always tended my garden. I sold vegetables in the village. My father was a farmer, so he left me a small plot where I grew tomatoes, melons, etc. Very quickly, I left for agricultural high school, anyway. I struggled to get to my second year of high school, and after that, I quickly took over the family farm. I started the baskets, the nice little markets in the village, and I created the pick-your-own. I really wanted people to come to the farm. Come on! We’ve worked hard. We’re going to put down our bucket and pick some flowers. I have orders for cut flowers. -Shall we keep the bucket? -Yes, we’ll keep it. We’ll start by planting some borage. There are quite a few bees buzzing around, but don’t worry, they’re nice. Jérôme, we’ll plant some cornflowers and some pansies, and our tray will be finished. -Positive thoughts… -Always! Come on, we have to deliver to the nursery, the restaurants and we’re going to pick some zucchini. -Just the zucchini, not the flowers? -Yes, the flowers, I’ve already picked a lot this morning. … -Oh my, it’s magnificent! We want to buy everything. -I have some of my own produce and then I work with local producers. The apricots can come from Beaucaire. The strawberries are from Carpentras. We are as fair as possible so that the consumer can find quality products at fair prices. -It immediately makes you want to eat. But I think we have work to do first? -Yes, yes! We have to deliver to the nursery, the restaurants… Deliveries take up a lot of time during the week. I have about ten restaurants to deliver to, so we’ll just do two together: the nursery and Les Roses Blanches. Otherwise, after that, I have a whole tour of the area, less than 10 km from the farm. It’s ultra local. There, it took us 5 minutes. Ah, we have a ball. -The Petits Loups nursery! -Hop! We’ll drop the order straight to the kitchen. Are you okay, Hélène? In the middle of preparing? -In the middle of preparing the meal, yes. -We brought you the apricots, the strawberries, the little radishes… The carrots! -And even pears… -Enough to make good meals with garlic… -Yes, you’re going to spoil these little ones. -How many children do you have to feed at lunchtime? -20! -Oh yes! -Even if it’s small quantities, at least the children acquire a taste for the fruits and vegetables, which they find at home later. I have mothers, families who come for the harvest. Sometimes you ask the parents for fruit. So I see them arrive for the cherry tomatoes, the strawberries… It creates a connection. And then, we have to be present in our community, it’s important. Come on, see you next week! -See you soon. -The restaurant we’re going to deliver to, what’s nice is that it’s the old presbytery that’s been converted into a restaurant. So we’ll deliver and park in front of the church as if we were going there. -I hope the priest won’t complain. -No… Are you taking the flowers? I’ll take the apricots and the aromatic plants. -We’ll bring them little pieces of sunshine. -Oh, we have the sun all year round here. -Hi, Alix! -How are you, Marc-Antoine? -How are you? -HELLO! -I have some help today to prepare your order. -I can see that. Nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you, yeah. -It’s all beautiful, all fresh. -Yes, it was picked this morning. -It’s 2 km long and it comes to the kitchen, that’s beautiful! -I love gastronomy, the contact with the chefs. It’s really very important. And this way of working. The zucchini flower is in season. Then we have the apricot. We’ve just finished the cherry. Then we’re going to start the peach… -Alix dictates my menu a little. There you go. And many other restaurants that follow the rhythm of the seasons as they go, but really, that’s how you have to work. -You have a very wide range of products, in fact. -Since we’re market gardeners of the 4 seasons, there’s always something in production. Always! Shall we go? -Sounds good. -Thank you very much for coming. I’m going to go back to the kitchen. -Good service, chef! -Have a good day, goodbye! -Come on, we’ll make some small vegetables on the plancha with a melon, a tomato salad… -Very good, that! Wouldn’t we add a little salt, pepper and herbs? -Yes! Herbs of Provence? -Hi, Alix! How are you? -How are you? -Impeccable. -Hello. Jérôme. -Pleased to meet you. -Enzo! -It’s a real banquet here. -Here we have the garden team. Come on! -Do you get together like this regularly? These family and friendly tables are great times! -We already eat with the employees every lunchtime. In fact, we live together almost all the time. -It’s a big family. -I don’t define myself as a fruit and vegetable supplier. It’s obvious. It’s really a partnership since with Enzo, he says to me “in 15 days, I’m going to change my menu, what do you have? I want to make this fish” and we think together, the fruits, the vegetables. I let her taste things. -Regularly, it’s she who gives me ideas, by the way. Alix has managed to create a little nest where… -A community, yes! -Exactly, where everyone helps each other and gets along well. We are there for each other. -She has united around her. -Exactly. She’s the fairy. She unites, the fairy of the fields. … Camera shutter. So, my trip to the Gard is over. I hope you were able to appreciate how this department is an authentic territory with an exceptional historical heritage, with its medieval villages, in particular, its priories, abbeys and other Roman remains, like this sublime Pont du Gard. This destination combines relaxation, culture and heritage, conviviality and above all, encounters and I thank all those who accompanied me during my stay in Gard. See you soon for new beautiful escapes, in other faraway lands. You can watch this show in replay, follow the behind the scenes of our filming on social networks and until then, “Gard-dez” the smile and take care of yourself. Bye, bye! france.tv access