Les Crottes d'Aubert

The almond tree is the first tree of the year to bloom, it is the symbol of the arrival of spring. Originally from the Middle East, it arrived in France in the 5th century and became, with the Olive Tree, the symbol of Provence. Nevertheless, its number has greatly diminished in recent decades Actions are now being put in place to permanently reintroduce it into the landscape of the Alpilles.

The mill Ribet or St Peter was built in 1814 and functioned until 1915, when the wheat was requisitioned for war. It is the newest of the four mills of Fontvieille. In 1935, it was the mill, which is now the best preserved, as the Society of Friends of Alphonse Daudet restores. This is why it is commonly called Daudet's windmill.

Les alignements de pierres en bord de route sont caractéristiques des Alpilles. À l'origine, ces déchets de carrière (pierres équarries non standard ou cassées lors du transport en charrette) étaient déposés au bord des chemins carrossables. Ces alignements ont apparemment évoqué aux habitants une procession de religieuses portant la coule blanche cistercienne : on les appelle familièrement les "dames blanches" des Alpilles.

Native to Minor Asia, the Provence Cypress has acclimatized very well around the Mediterranean basin, until becoming one of its symbols. It can reach 20 to 30 m high and 2 m of tower, it withstands -20 ° C and tolerates a relative drought. Its dense wood is appreciated by cabinetmakers since ancient times ;The Phoenicians, Romans and Greeks used it for the construction of ships, temple doors and coffins. ;

In the 1st century AD, the Romans built two parallel aqueduct bridges, which converged in a basin from which a single conduit leading to Arles. The Barbegal aqueduct was diverted in the 2nd century. AD to feed the Barbegal mill, while the western branch continued to supply the city of Arles. The modified bridge trenched the link of the Pene to feed the mill. The waters were then collected by a channel that evacuated them into marshes.

This mill was built in the 2nd century. and would have served 100 years. Built in a hillside on a slope of 30 ° and fed by the eastern branch of the Barbegal aqueduct, this mill consisted of two parallel rows of eight water wheels that operated sixteen mills. It formed a rectangle measuring 42 by 20 meters and produced about 4.5 tons of flour a day.

Emblematic culture of the territory of the Alpilles, the olive tree is the symbol of the dry Mediterranean climate. Its multiple trunks are the result of a release at the strain level following a significant frost in 1956. Today, some of the olives and oils produced in the Alpilles are recognized nationally and internationally, benefiting from the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).

In the classical style, the parish church of Fontvieille, Saint Pierre-ès-Liens has two bell towers. Its construction began in 1695, the old parish church having become too small to accommodate the inhabitants of the village. From 1790 and throughout the post-revolutionary period, the building was transformed into a communal hall. It regains its original vocation in the early nineteenth century and its second tower was built in 1866, which explains the difference in style.