Local history and culture Martinique

Five kilometers north of Saint-Pierre, a sign indicates the direction to this enormous rock. Legend has it that the valiant Caribbean chiefs preferred to throw themselves off this cliff, after swallowing a violent poison, rather than be enslaved by the French colonists. No one knows if this legend is true, leaving only large engraved rocks that can still be deciphered. Nevertheless, it is here that Native Indian memory is regularly honored by certain independence groups.

Sainte-Luce remains one of the most authentic cities on the island. To discover it, there is nothing like a morning stroll along the boulevard Kennedy which follows the sea, at the time when the first stalls of the covered market are set up and when the fishermen return to the port with their daily catch. The many cafés and restaurants come alive later in the evening. After the market, continue towards rue Schoelcher to go to the Sainte-Luce church, surrounded by old houses, and then return via the town hall.

Dare to take the red brick road, and you will land in another era, that of a village where dozens of men and women work. The Village de la Poterie is an authentic village, that was once inhabited, a unique place which gathers in the same site 45 different workshops and trades: a brick factory and craftsmen potters dating from the 18^thcentury, craftsmen and designers (furniture, fashion, decoration, soaps…), artists (jewelers, painters), souvenir stores and local products (chocolates) and some restaurants.

La Trinité has the particularity of possessing the vestiges of mills in the sugar houses, which were used to crush the cane and to extract the vésou necessary to the manufacture of rum. Powered by animals, water or wind, they coexisted until the 20^th century, even if, from the second half of the 19^th century, steam mills have gradually pushed back the windmills first, then the animal mills and finally the water mills. Unfortunately, most of them are only visible from the road because they are located on private property.

Martinique's southernmost rum distillery. With the launch of Braud & Quennesson, the family of Martinique agricultural rums expands. The arrival of this new rum distillery marks the rebirth of an emblematic site: the old Le Marin factory, founded in 1866 by the Braud and Quennesson forefathers and closed since the 1970s. This exceptional site benefits from a unique terroir and a particularly warm, humid microclimate, which confers exceptional qualities on the rum: aroma, freshness and smoothness. According to cellar master Stéphanie Dufour, the cane has one of the highest sugar contents on the island. The house's positioning is resolutely upmarket: controlled productivity, quality work, few cuvées (4 round, gourmet whites: 59°, 59.2°, 55° and 50°). And this year, the range has been extended to include its first wood-aged rums, which, after 12 months' ageing in a combination of casks, are ready to reveal all their aromas. This site, steeped in history, boasts a beautiful boutique and a botanical garden planted with coffee, calabash, cheese and mango trees, making it a delight to stroll through. The ruins of the old sugar factory are still clearly visible. Cane is currently distilled at the Simon dwelling, but the De Gentile family, who are at the head of the project, hope to launch their own distillery in a few years' time. A must-see!

A relic of the architecture of the first settlers, this building is probably older than the village church. It may have been part of a sugar mill in Case-Pilote at the very beginning of the 17^th century. The present private residence mentioned at the end of the 18^th century includes a main house and its outbuildings with stables, a chapel, and even a dungeon. Now classified as a historical monument, the house has undergone major renovations over the past few years, and is still undergoing major renovations that make it impossible to visit.

The town of Le Marin is built on a hillside around the marina bay. A walk in the rue Duquesnay and rue Zola will allow you to contemplate some beautiful examples of Creole architecture from the beginning of the 20^th century. On the road to the south, don't hesitate to branch off and get lost in the narrow streets of the old town. On the seaside, you will let your steps lead you to the discovery of the ships at anchor, some of them particularly impressive, and the marina, very modern.

One of the island's oldest distilleries. JM agricultural rums are one of Martinique's great vintages. In addition to a visit to the distillery, a stroll through the rum garden is a must. The walk begins in the cane garden, where you can discover the 3 varieties of hybrid cane selected for their quality and resistance to mechanical cutting: straw cane, blue cane and red cane. The garden features the typical square layout that once prevailed on cane plantations. The walk takes you past rich vegetation, the result of exceptionally fertile soil and a cross-fertilization of species. In the rum garden, flowers, aromatic plants, shrubs, lianas and tall trees embody the delicious scents that develop during the metamorphosis of sugar cane and the aging of rums.

As you make your way along the trail, you'll be immersed in the typical scents of JM rums. Coffee, cocoa, guava, pineapple, breadfruit, lemon, citron...: the trail blends indigenous plants, present before the arrival of the first settlers, with domesticated plants, brought by Amerindians, Europeans, Africans and then Indians. The spice garden (basil, lemongrass, ginger, pepper, chili, Indian wood, cinnamon, vanilla...) rubs shoulders with ornamental plants (lilies, gardenia, jasmine, datura, ylang-ylang...). At the end of this enchanting stroll, drop by the boutique for a tasting of the divine nectars produced on site.

Raymond Rijo has imagined a Creole garden where market gardening, fruit growing, aromatic and medicinal plants coexist: cocoa, guava, banana, sugar cane, allspice, calabash… and especially cassava, the star product of the farm. The farmer offers themed educational workshops, to learn how to fight against predators, to make compost or bamboo chimes and of course to make the famous cassava-based pancakes. A high place of conservation of the traditional know-how of Martinique to discover.

The Habitation Chalvet contributed greatly to the economic development of Basse-Pointe. It was one of the largest sugar factories on the island. Now dedicated to the cultivation of bananas, sugarcane and pineapples, it is the only house open to the public. The new owners organize guided tours to discover the history of the house, the banana, and to discover some secrets of the local medicinal plants. You can learn a lot about the past of the house and the remains of the slavery era. Very interesting.

Le François is an important and lively town, more authentic than touristic. There is no beach here… but you can guess the coral reef on which the waves break in the distance. Go for a walk to the fish market, where fishermen come to sell their goods that they cut up on the table, under metal shelters. In the town center, besides the church in front of the town hall, notice the huts lined up on Perrinon street: they were built by the workers of the central factory of Emile Bougenot.

If you continue along the seafront road, you will arrive at the end of the cove at a small fishing port, one of the typical places of the city. One can read on a sign: “No throwing away old cars”! An adage that unfortunately is not listened to nor followed to the letter…

Then go and contemplate the banana plantations, at the exit of Le François, which constitute a typical natural scenery. We follow the direction of Le Vauclin (12 km), then we turn to take the D16 towards Bois-Soldat. From the road, the panorama on the islets on one side and the mountain on the other is incomparable.

Finally, go have a look at La Frégate, an old colonial house in the small village called Bonnaire. Continue your journey to the Cap Est Lagoon Resort: the complex has a beach accessible to all, with white sand, with clear waters, ideal for families. It is the only beach in Le François. To swim in the turquoise waters, you will have to reach the famous islets of Le François and Le Robert.

From Le Lorrain to Grande-Rivière, the sugarcane and banana fields give way to the tropical forest, a real wild jungle. This stretch of the D10 is familiarly called “Route des Habitations” in memory of the sumptuous plantations that once stood there. Today, some of them are still visible but remain private: you must book an appointment or ask for permission from the local tourist offices for the Habitation Beauséjour in Grand-Rivière, the Habitations Perpigna and Chénaux in Macouba, and the Habitations Leyritz and Pécoul in Basse-Pointe.