Cycling around Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer

The Amarée Mas was rented in 1899 by the Baroncelli marquis, writer and manadier who developed the Camargue, he exploited the traditions of the territory such as the Camargue race and the Gypsy pilgrimage. The Amarée mas which extends over 200 ha, the main house adjoins a stable Due to financial problems, Baroncelli is forced to leave the Amarée, the Saintois contribute to offer him the land of Simbèu mas where he builds a farmhouse similar to the one of Amarée.

The Petit-Rhône is one of the two arms of the Rhone Delta that leaves the main riverbed north of Arles to jump into the Mediterranean Sea. The Petit-Rhône estuary is located 2 km west of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and is called Grau d'Orgon. The Clos du Rhône beach, located at the Petit Rhône estuary, is the last beach of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. On the other side of the Petit-Rhône, there is the Espiguette Port Camargue beach.

Traditional home of guardians of Camargue, the hut has whitewashed walls and a roof of sagne (reeds marshes). The architecture of these cabins is original : straight walls on all sides except the one exposed to the mistral (north-west) which is in apse (of rounded form) to offer less catch in the wind. At the top of this apse, there is usually a form of cross or horn that used to stow the cabin on the ground during windy days.

The painter and sculptor Hermann Paul conceives the Camargue Cross in 1926 following the request of Marquis Baroncelli, « inventor » of the Camargue. It associates the guardians and the fishermen and symbolizes three virtues: the Cross for Faith, the Anchor for Hope and the Heart for Charity. The guardians and the Camargue soul are represented by the tridents. The original cross was made in wrought iron by Joseph Barbanson and inaugurated on July 7, 1926.

The arenas of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer were inaugurated in 1931 and can accommodate 4,500 people. They are built in hard material and have a circular shape.. Part of the arena collapsed in 1931, and was rebuilt in 1932. In 1985, they were redesigned by the architect André Marchetti. They offer three forms of bull races: the Camargue race, the Spanish race, and the rejón bullfight where the bull is fought by a rider, the rejoneador.

Originally, the race is a taurine game where animals and farmhands fight and play with the bull. Towards the end of the 19th century, this bullfighting game becomes less violent and only the man plays with the bull. We fix the attributes on the horns of the Camargue bull intended to be removed by the raseteurs dressed in white, now only protagonists of the race. A cockade is fixed on the horns of the bull and bonuses are awarded to the one who will pick up the attribute.

The creation of the marina, Port Gardian, dates back to the development of tourism in the Camargue in the mid-twentieth century. Built in June 1984, it has managed to keep its family atmosphere and its human dimension. This harbour has 380 rings. The village church, located not far from the port, 200 m from the wharves, is used as bitter, a landmark fixed and unambiguously identifiable. It guides boaters and fishermen sailing on the Mediterranean Sea.

The bull of Camargue, also called bull of Raço di Bioù (in Provençal), is slender and fiery. The Camargue bull is a French bovine breed. It sports beautiful horns shaped lyres. Its breeding is mainly intended for the Camargue race, also called race "with the cockade". It can also be admired during ferrades, during which the anouble, a young bull of one year, is separated from the herd to be affixed a fire brand.

It is a place of passage and rest for many migratory birds In winter, ducks and coots find a relative tranquillity. This natural abundance motivated the need for protection by the Department of Bouches-du-Rhône as well as the Malagroy and Imperial ponds. The water level of the Consécanière pond is maintained artificially low by pumping, the pump rejecting the waters of the pond towards the Malagroy pond. The pond is surrounded by a wooded border of tamarisk.

Crin-Blanc is a French movie shot by Ambert Lamorisse in 1952 and released in 1953. Crin-Blanc, leader of a herd of Camargue horses in freedom, is captured by men. He manages to escape and Folco, a little boy, is the only one able to tame this wild horse, a friendship is born. A movie that was written and directed in Cacharel and helped to reinforce the image of the Camargue: windswept sand landscapes where white horses, black bulls and pink flamingos coexist.

There are 40 species of mosquitoes but only ten are biting. Females recover protein from the human blood that are necessary for the maturation of their eggs. They lay thousands of eggs on the soil dried up that are waiting, sometimes years, the rise of the waters to hatch. The mosquito is inconvenient for the man but it is useful to many species: dragonflies, fish, bats ... that feed on them. It is therefore an indispensable link in the Camargue biodiversity.

The Baroncelli marquis, famous character of Camargue life, gave to his manade the name of Manade Santenco which means, in Provençal, manade of Saintes-Maries. At the death of the marquis, his son-in-law Henri Aubanel then manages the Santenco manade.. On June 15, 1996, the Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer inaugurate the Henri Aubanel bouvau, a circular enclosure where bulls are grouped after selection. At the death of Henri Aubanel, his son Pierre manages the manade that he renames Aubanel Baroncelli Santenco manade.

Classified Departmental Reserve, Imperial and Malagroy Ponds were acquired by the Departmental Council of Bouches-du-Rhone in 1964 to protect these fragile natural environments (2,770 ha) which are home to many species of birds. The fishing, a traditional activity in Camargue, is practiced in the Imperial reserve in a boat without motor which imposes the use, as formerly, of the "partygue" (pole). Fishermen are looking for shrimps, eels.

At the graus level (or passages), communication canals between the sea and the littoral ponds, you will find fish, towards the flooded sansouïre and the ponds or towards the sea. Migrating species include mullet, sea bass, but also sea bream, sole and especially eel. Born in the Sargasso Sea, she joined the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts after a long journey. She comes to grow in the coastal ponds or rivers where she spends several years of her life.

True highlight of the Camargue (15 m), the church offers a breathtaking view of the village and all the Camargue. The 53 steps of a spiral staircase lead to the roof of the church where the panorama unfolds in all its splendour : up there, you can take advantage of a wide angle vision on the city, the sea and the ponds. Intense and sparkling blue of the Mediterranean Sea, purple hue of the Imperial pond The wind, the sun, the view of the calm expanse of the sea invite you to discover this landscape.