Fodor's Expert Review Massif des Maures
Dramatic forest scenery makes taking a drive west and northwest of St-Tropez (take the D98 toward Grimaud) along the D558 worthwhile even if you're not heading up to the A8. This is the Massif des Maures, named for the Moors who retreated here from the Battle of Poitiers in 732 and profited from its strong position over the sea. The largest forest area in the Var reaches an altitude of 2,560 feet. Some 26 villages share the Massif's borders and—amid vineyards and mushroom-shape parasol pines unique to the Mediterranean—crowd the highway (as do cyclists in spring).
The forest is dark with thick cork oaks whose ancient trunks are girdled for cork every 10 years or so, leaving exposed a broad band of sienna brown. Looming even darker and thicker above are chestnut trees, cultivated for their thick, sweet nuts, which you are not allowed to gather from the forest floor, as signs from the growers' cooperative will warn. The best place to sample châtaignes—whether in... READ MORE
Dramatic forest scenery makes taking a drive west and northwest of St-Tropez (take the D98 toward Grimaud) along the D558 worthwhile even if you're not heading up to the A8. This is the Massif des Maures, named for the Moors who retreated here from the Battle of Poitiers in 732 and profited from its strong position over the sea. The largest forest area in the Var reaches an altitude of 2,560 feet. Some 26 villages share the Massif's borders and—amid vineyards and mushroom-shape parasol pines unique to the Mediterranean—crowd the highway (as do cyclists in spring).
The forest is dark with thick cork oaks whose ancient trunks are girdled for cork every 10 years or so, leaving exposed a broad band of sienna brown. Looming even darker and thicker above are chestnut trees, cultivated for their thick, sweet nuts, which you are not allowed to gather from the forest floor, as signs from the growers' cooperative will warn. The best place to sample châtaignes—whether in doughnuts, beer, or the famous marrons glacés (candied chestnuts)—is at the festival held every October in Collobrières, aka the chestnut capital of the world.
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