My Village: La Garde-Freinet, Cote d’Azur

Jane and Alban Roy found the perfect balance of serenity and community in the unassuming charm of La Garde-Freinet, behind St-Tropez on the Côte d’Azur…

We were living and working in Brittany, and decided to go for a change. We knew the Gulf of St-Tropez pretty well, so we looked around there for something to buy. We found a wonderful house in La Garde-Freinet, in the hills behind. It’s a wooded area with lovely views. We’re away from the rush of the Côte d’Azur but still very close, there’s plenty of breathing space. It’s a great place to relax and get back to nature. We had looked at many other houses and decided on Villa Fontane because it suited what we wanted to do. It has a swimming pool, four bedrooms, plus a second house on the property for weekly rentals. We find the village very charming; we just love it here.

We especially like the markets and that the village is still authentic, not too glitzy. A lot of artists live here. There’s a good feeling. It’s a nice size as well, there’s 1,500 people here in winter, so it’s got an active life all year round. It’s big enough to have everything you need day to day – butchers, bakers, and chemists – but small enough for us to get to know people very easily.

We like going down to the sea. The closest beach is just 15 minutes away, and within half an hour you have a big choice of other beaches. Then there are other little villages: Grimaud and Ramatuelle, and further afield the Verdon Gorges. For a day trip, it’s easy to get to Aix- en-Provence, Nice or Marseille. Living in the countryside, it’s a big treat to head over to the towns, go to a museum, the cinema or the theatre.

That was 40 years ago in Paris, and I didn’t speak French. I remember people were too polite to correct me. It was my children who taught me French because they would say “mum, you don’t say that”. I’m OK now. I’m very surprised that there are a lot of British people in the village who seem to have their own community – even their own plumbers and electricians, so they don’t really need to speak French at all. But my husband is French and I’ve been here for so long, that I do feel very comfortable with the language.

Everyone’s very friendly, very courteous, and made us feel welcome when we arrived. There are people who have lived here for generations, and then there is also quite a large community of people who have moved here and are more international so that’s also a good source of friendship for us.

Very positive as well. We offer tourist accommodation, so we work with the local tourist office. We run a three- bedroom guesthouse and an independent cottage as a gîte, set in two hectares of grounds with a large heated swimming pool. The tourist offices in France are amazing, so helpful and on the ball. They gave us free training for things like starting up your business and using social media. They were very encouraging.

The rosé wine, of course. We’ve got vineyards just across the road. As for food, the aioli, which is a local dish typically offered on Fridays of fish with vegetables and a very, very garlicky mayonnaise, which is delicious. Oh, and the chestnuts, there are a lot of chestnut trees around here so we’ve become addicted and use them, both in cooking or just with a bit of plain yoghurt for a dessert.

Dominating the hill, there’s the Fort-Freinet, which dates from the 12th century. It was built as a lookout so you get an amazing view of the village, which was built lower down. The village has little cobbled streets and houses with lovely red tiles. You’re not allowed to put solar panels or satellite dishes on the rooftops because they are protected as historical heritage.

I thought I would find the climate difficult because I like rain, unlike most people who are seeking sunshine. But I found that it does rain here sometimes, and as we are a little bit up in the hills, we do get the four seasons. But most importantly we’re blessed to live in such a beautiful, wonderful part of the world. Everything is just glorious.

Find more about Villa Fontane in La Garde-Freinet at bnb-villafontane.com

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