DEPARTMENTAL DOMAIN OF THE MAS NEUF

At the borders of the department, take the trail of our ancestors and climb up to the rock of the Causse. At an altitude of 408 metres, your gaze embraces a magnificent panoramic viewpoint, from the Gardiole massif to Mont Ventoux. On this rocky spur offering an exceptional panorama, the remains of a Chalcolithic village (about 2,300 years before our era) are spread out. On the site, some ponds are home to a singular animal: the cancriform triops. It has survived for hundreds of millions of years while retaining the same appearance. It is a crustacean of the gill class, which means that its gills are located in its legs. To breathe, it obtains oxygen by wiggling its legs in the water. This species is particularly well adapted to phases of drying that can sometimes last several years. The eggs, buried in the ground, hatch after heavy spring rains. The adults have a life expectancy of 20 to 40 days, just enough time to lay the next generation! If our ancestors settled on the heights, our modern preoccupations push us, on the contrary, to live on the plains. Thus, urbanization and cultures monopolize and nibble away at the low reliefs and foothills. On the contrary, the hills abandoned by Man, if not for his leisure, are gradually being reforested.

How to get there? From Saint-Mathieu-de-Tréviers, take the Quissac-Valflaunès direction. In Valflaunès, follow the RD 17 E towards Pompignan. On the plateau, 1 km after the crossroads going down towards Lauret, parking on the right.