Climate
Maximum sunshine
The sun shines all year round in this region: 300 days a year! The Villages et Vallées d'Azur enjoy particularly mild temperatures; even at night in the middle of winter, they rarely drop below zero. Although mornings can sometimes be chilly, with temperatures as low as 3 or 4°C, the mercury soon rises to an average of 10°C. It's not uncommon to see 15°C to 20°C in November or March. Summers, meanwhile, are particularly hot, scorching in some years, especially along the coast. From June to the end of September, 33°C to 35°C are commonplace, and temperatures can even climb to 40°C. It's a good time to head for the cooler alpine villages of Gourdon, Caussols, Bouyon and Gréolières!
Typical Mediterranean weather
A fairly mild winter, a capricious spring that gives way to a long, hot summer, interspersed with heavy thunderstorms in August. Autumn, more versatile, is often subject to heavy rainfall, which has consequences for the rivers: they are marked by the brutality of autumn floods and severe low-water periods in summer. Rainfall recharges the water tables and fills the water reservoirs in the karstic massifs. Village fountains, rivers and coastal streams depend on the water stored in these mountains. The Mediterranean plays a calming role in the local weather. Winds in the region are fairly moderate, with the mountains of the high country and the Estérel massif playing a protective role.
Reliefs
Plateaux
From the coastline of Antibes, you need only look north to see the amphitheater of hills, and, just behind them, the rocky bars of the highland plateaux. To the west, the Calern and Caussols plateaus, in the middle the Cavillore plateau, to the east the Saint-Barnabé plateau. All offer magnificent views over the hills and villages of the Côte d'Azur, all the way to the sea.
The Caussols and Calern plateaus
Located above Grasse, at an average altitude of 1,100 meters, these high limestone plateaus are the widest part of the Pre-Alps front. They are dominated to the north by the summit of Calern (1,458 m), home to an astronomical observatory, and to the south by Haut-Montet (1,335 m), home to a civil aviation radar station. Shaped for centuries by the uplift of the Alps and the work of water, the Caussols plateau is remarkable for its characteristic karstic erosion. It is riddled with hundreds of sinkholes and avens, or sinkholes where the ground collapses to leave a gaping hole at the surface, as well as dolines, or sinkholes clogged with sediment, which punctuate this lunar landscape with green patches. There is also a complex network of underground galleries that drain rainwater and feed streams. The main gallery is 433 meters deep. The Embut de Caussols is a giant funnel, which can be seen before reaching the hamlet of Saint-Lambert. Fossiliferous levels allow paleogeographic reconstruction of these environments in the Secondary Era. The whole area is a well-preserved natural site, with a landscape shaped over the centuries by pastoralism. The bories, enclosures, sheepfolds and drinking troughs that dot the landscape bear witness to this.
The Cavillore plateau
The Cavillore limestone plateau dominates Gourdon. This is a typically Provencal garrigue landscape, dotted with holm oaks and conifers. From the top of the plateau, there's a magnificent view of the village below and the Côte d'Azur coastline in the distance. The site is popular with hikers and cyclists. It's also a starting point for paragliding flights. Remains of ancient human activity can be found here, including the remains of a Roman road and oppida. The area boasts sharp contrasts between steep cliffs and plateaus, wetlands and drylands, as well as remarkable biodiversity.
The Saint-Barnabé plateau
Between the Col de Vence and Coursegoules, the Saint-Barnabé plateau rolls out its magnificent karst landscape, offering a striking contrast when you arrive from the green hills of Vence. The limestone rocks sculpted by erosion give the plateau a distinctive appearance. Sandwiched between the massifs of Puy Subert to the north and Puy de Tourrettes to the south, it escapes maritime influences. The charming oasis of the hamlet contrasts with the austerity of the surrounding pastures. There's a rustic chapel and a curious pile of prehistoric stones: the Champs des Idoles. These landscapes have been shaped for hundreds of years by farming and pastoral activities. Without them, the forest would have completely taken over these areas. In this way, herds help to maintain open environments and host exceptional biodiversity.
Hills and restanques
The hills that characterize the area stretch between sea and plateau, at altitudes ranging from 200 m (Valbonne, Roquefort-les-Pins) to 300 m (Opio, Le Rouret, Le Bar-sur-Loup) and 400 m (Tourrettes-sur-Loup, Châteauneuf). Here, ancestral cultivation has given way to terraced landscapes, or "restanques", which began to be exploited around the 16th and 17th centuries. Farmers used these terraces to retain soil and water. As most of the agricultural land was located on slopes, the construction of low stone walls prevented the land from gullying during periods of torrential rain, which the region sometimes experiences. These horizontal planks were once home to vegetable gardens, olive groves, vineyards, fruit trees and flowerbeds growing orange blossom, roses and jasmine in Bar-sur-Loup, Opio and Tourrettes-sur-Loup.
Some restanques have now been returned to nature, and have been reclaimed by the forest, as in Courmes and Le Rouret. Others have been taken over by more or less dense residential development, depending on the area. Remarkable restanques can still be seen in Valbonne, Opio, Châteauneuf, Le Bar-sur-Loup, Coursegoules and Biot, their quality the result of the characteristics of the boulders, the care taken with the fittings and the market value of the agricultural produce that gave rise to the development.
Rivers and streams
Le Loup
This small coastal river, 48 km long, rises in the Andon commune at an altitude of 1,217 meters. It crosses the entire region, carving its way through the limestone massif of the Pre-Alps, cutting its path between the Calern, Cavillore and Caussols plateaus to the west, and the Saint-Barnabé plateau to the east. Its gentle course near its source accelerates in the Gorges du Loup, before returning to a calmer course near its mouth. The tumultuous section, south of Gréolières, stretches for around 5 km from the Bramafan crossroads to the Pont du Loup. Waterfalls, rapids and siphons are a delight for hikers. The river bed widens momentarily, then deepens again in the foreland plateaus. Here, the Loup winds its way through less steeply wooded slopes, past the hilltop villages of Le Bar-sur-Loup and Tourrettes-sur-Loup, skirting Roquefort-les-Pins, La Colle-sur-Loup and Villeneuve-Loubet, before reaching the Mediterranean. The river maintains a good flow in all seasons, fed by an underground circulation of resurgent water from the karstic plateaus of the high country.
The Estéron, an exceptional river
The Estéron rises on the slopes of Mont Teillon, at an altitude of 1,160 metres. Fed by various tributaries, its course takes it from west to east to the Var river, where it ends its journey, 20 km from the Mediterranean. Its banks were inhabited from the Neolithic to the Iron Age, and then again in Roman times. In 1760, following the Treaty of Turin, the Estéron became the border between the Kingdom of France and the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. With a length of 67 km, the Estéron benefits from a gentle gradient over most of its course, making it an ideal place for fishing and swimming. Over the centuries, the river has carved "clues" (the local name for gorges), some of them very deep. These clues are popular with canyoning enthusiasts. With its free-flowing course, crystal-clear water and unspoilt landscapes, the Estéron appears to everyone as an exceptional river. In October 2018, the Estéron was awarded the Site Rivières Sauvages label.
La Brague
The Brague rises in Châteauneuf-Grasse, at an altitude of 340 meters, and flows for 21 km before reaching the sea north of Antibes. The Brague crosses five communes from upstream to downstream: Châteauneuf-Grasse, Opio, Valbonne, Biot and Antibes. Its watershed also covers the communes of Grasse, Mougins and Mouans-Sartoux. The Valmasque and Bouillides streams are its main tributaries. In summer, the river suffers from excessive water abstraction. Water is pumped to irrigate gardens, swimming pools and golf courses. Over the past two decades, regulations have become stricter.
The river has cut a deep valley through the limestone plateau, widening out over Valbonne's marl soil. This wetland is an ecological corridor, home to a number of protected species. Many migratory birds use this site, which is particularly rich in insects, as a resting place during their migrations. A footpath along the river makes it possible to walk from Valbonne to Biot. Along this 9 km walk through undergrowth, you'll enjoy the shade of alders, ashes, hornbeams, hazelnuts, laurels and walnuts. Water-related leisure activities and campsites are also found on the alluvial plain.
