Like all corners of the world, Courmes has to be earned. It's as if this peaceful village of 124 souls, nestling at the foot of the Puy de Tourrettes, was doing all it could to keep its peace. To discover this haven of peace, you have to go up the Loup gorges to the Bramafan crossroads, taking the D6 which winds over the river. You can admire the 40 m-high Courmes waterfall on the way, but it's impossible to park here. Continue on the D503 until the road ends. Welcome to Courmes! A glance around the village gives you an overall view of this ancient village, which swings between the mountains to the north and the Mediterranean to the south. The stone buildings, topped with old tiles, form an almost mineral mass, perfectly anchored in the surrounding nature. The avenue of plane trees that leads to the village and the bright, ochre-tinted town hall are reminders that this is Provence. Most of the houses are perfectly restored. It's easy to guess that Courmes is home to city dwellers on vacation, in search of nature and absolute peace and quiet. There's no traffic noise here, only the wind in the trees and the chirping of birds. In the parking lot, hikers get equipped with shoes, rucksack and walking sticks. Crossed by the GR51, Courmes is the starting point for many excursions, to the Saint-Barnabé plateau, the Baous overlooking the Côte d'Azur, the Puy de Tourrettes or the wild banks of the Loup. A little history. On September 29, 1176, a certain P. de Corma signed as a witness a charter between Bertrand de Grasse and the bishop of Antibes. This is the earliest appearance of the village's name. In the Middle Ages, it was located at Les Combes on the Serre de la Madeleine. This original village, whose ruins can still be seen today, was surrounded by a wall. Courmes was a seigneury. The hamlet was dependent on Coursegoules until the French Revolution. The inhabitants lived in this rather isolated environment, growing crops and raising livestock. In the 14th and 15th centuries, wars and instability led to the depopulation of the village. In the second half of the 20th century, the development of the Côte d'Azur and the village's isolation, far from the region's main traffic routes, gradually led to its abandonment. Today, the village is enjoying a new lease of life, with second homes for city dwellers in search of nature and peace and quiet.
