Pigeon huts and ATV cabins

The Colostre is a biological reservoir of great importance for lower Verdon and Durance. But it lost its beauty during the twentieth century, from a bed in braids to a more straight and steep path. If the number of fish species has decreased, the river and its valley still shelter some emblematic species such as the Beaver or the Small Horseshoe bat. A restoration project is under way to restore its good functioning and all its vitality.

1 / You are on the L. Gardiol path: look up. The attic of the village houses often had a dovecote, facing south. We can notice the flight grid surrounded by green and brown glazed tiles.

2/ In the outskirts of the town you will find cottages with an urban look very much influenced by "the 30s". Discover one of them, a small hook towards Valensole; we note its slender roof with four slopes, made of mechanical flat tiles are very characteristic of this period. A glass greenhouse was used as a winter garden.

3 / Just like many country cottages, it suggests the remains of a gutter that was connected to a tank underground. Collecting rainwater was the only way for the owner to have a water supply.

4 / At the end of the road on the right, the Coulettes’s dovecote, restored in 2013 by the Verdon Park, has retained its rural decor. The ground floor includes a bird table topped with a rack and an upstairs section for pigeons with pigeonholes. A wooden birdhouse was built to accommodate a barn owl.

5 / Look at this little dovecote inserted in the setting of the village. The triangular pediment is pierced by a small, wooden flight grid. We see metal rods which indicate the presence of drawstrings that reinforce the hold of the masonry.

6 / This building, notable for the presence of a cypress, has a living room upstairs where the owner can warm up by the fireplace.

Ce cabanon, très délabré, permet une lecture précieuse des matériaux traditionnels : les galets, typiques du plateau de Valensole, sont hourdés au mortier de chaux, puis recouverts d’un enduit protecteur, aujourd’hui largement disparu. On devine encore sa toiture à double ressaut, en retrait de la façade : elle abritait sans doute un balcon et une grande grille d’envol, derrière laquelle se cachaient les boulins où nichaient autrefois les pigeons.

8 / This cabin, which is very run down, allows visitors to see the material used: The pebbles, typical of Valensole, were filled with a mortar of lime before being covered with a protective lime coating.

9 / Metal plates are visible in each corner of the building. Smooth and slippery, they keep away predators, preventing them from holding on.

10 / The cone-shaped loft can be seen in the distance. Traces of a stone cornice remain, delimiting the old roof with a double offset.

14 / Near the river, a covered well alongside the entrance to the remarkably restored shed.

11 / Turn left and in 200m you will discover the cabin of Carles. Note the aesthetics of the Génoise tiling, which has two rows of tiles with rounded corners marrying the gable wall.

12 / Notice the frame of the window: It is made by the stack of solid bricks, cut with a notch which forms the rabbet. When better plastered, the shutters are more effective during windy days. Before the putlogs collapsed, you could still see a date inscribed in plaster: 1857.

13 / The cabin houses the gardening tools. Note the presence of an arbor supporting two vines.

15 / In front of the parking lot, there is hidden grid off behind a plane tree. It indicates a construction date "1847", the initials "LC", all decorated with trefoil hearts.

16 / The big cabin in the middle of the Saint-Maxime plain is used to store farm machinery.

Depuis le plateau, une magnifique vue s’offre aux randonneurs : le village de Puimoisson se dessine à l’horizon, blotti dans le paysage, tandis que les premiers contreforts des Alpes se dressent au loin, majestueux.

The dominant view extends over the village, the Colostre lowland and in the distance the main peaks of Provence, from here we can see the Lure mountain which culminates at 1826m.

St. Maximus, patron of Riez, was bishop of the city in the fifth century. His cult is celebrated in all areas and his name has remained attached to many places. This hill overlooking the city bears its name, as the source springs halfway up. One naturally lends therapeutic virtues to this source. Tradition has it that its waters cure the eye ailments that were formerly attributed to its low rate of limestone.