La Vallongue

Once you have reached Aureille, I invite you to make a detour in the center of the village to admire the church of Notre Dame de l’Assomption. The construction of this neo-Romanesque church was initiated by the parish priest, named Father Pauleau, who arrived in 1867 at Aureille. The first stone was laid by the Archbishop of Aix, George Chalandon, on 31 March of that year. His plans are the work of the architect Auguste Veran from Arles.

Dominated by the castle that can be seen at the top of its rocky outcrop, Aureille is at the foot of the Alpilles massif and opens onto the Crau lowland. The center of the village was formerly surrounded by a wall to protect itself, hence the shape of houses adjacent to each other. Today, Aureille remains a typical Provencal village.

This viewpoint is characterized by two of the oldest geological formations in the Alpilles, dating from the Jurassic period. ; On the left, the crest of Civadières, 446 m high, and on the right, the highest point of the ^park territory: the Opies, 498 m high From the tower that symbolizes the summit, it is possible to see up to the alpine massifs. This tower was a watchtower, built at the dawn of the twentieth century, to monitor the massif against fire. ;

This irregular plant mosaic is the purpose of clearing work carried out within the framework of the LIFE program of the Alpilles. It consists in promoting the reintegration of species living in an open environment. It is small game, such as the wild rabbit and the red partridge, the main sources of food for predatory birds of the Alpilles such as the Bonelli's Eagle and the Egyptian Vulture.

Culminating at 378m above sea level, the plateau of La Caume is a limestone entity traversed by the GR®6. This place hosts a rich ornithological biodiversity, with the Bonelli's Eagle, the Egyptian Vulture, but also the jackdaw. It is prolonged on its right by the Alpilles ridge, chain of small reliefs culminating between 300 and 390 m, and which joins the Calans d'Eygalières. ;

The Alpilles landscape has been shaped by centuries of pastoralism. In the massif, sheep and goat herds play an important role in the maintenance of the natural area: by eating the grass and a part of the shoots of trees and shrubs, they slow down the scrub. This practice contributes to the protection of the forest against fire. The tank shows these practices combining pastoralism and fire fighting.

Le pin d’Alep est très présent dans les Alpilles. Il apprécie les faibles altitudes (en-dessous de 900 mètres) et les régions méditerranéennes (climat chaud, sols secs, ensoleillement important). Il a la particularité de grandir très vite. On l'observe donc repousser après le passage d’incendies, car c’est la première essence qui reconstitue le paysage. Très inflammable, son écorce était auparavant utilisée pour le tannage des peaux ou encore des teintures.

The scrubland (Provençal "garrigo") is a plant formation characteristic of the Mediterranean regions. This formation, which is established in limestone massifs in dry ground, results generally from the degradation of the oaks forests. In France, it occupies about 400 000 ha, mainly in Provence and Languedoc. The scrubland can be a place of pastoral activity and a source of small wood for crafts.

The small relief of the Pas du Cerf, 242 m high, invites to follow a path that runs along its apparent limestone walls, while;sinking into a small valley conducive to the formation of scrubland. It offers a crossing point between the southern foothills of the Alpilles massif and the Crau lowland that extends to the sea.