An authentic Var village
Salernes, the village of terracotta tiles
25 kms from campsite "aux vallons" in BauduenThe village of Salernes awaits you for a pleasant visit. Throughout its history, this small village of craftsmen has retained its expertise in the ceramics industry.
Neolithic man has left numerous traces of his art in the caves of the Salernois area, including Fontbrégoua (occupied since 12,000 BC). This pottery, considered to be the oldest in Western Europe, dates back more than 7,000 years.
Exclusively used for domestic purposes, this pottery was used to store, preserve and cook food, particularly that which had been gathered. They were made from the local clay, which was red, ferruginous and elastic. The potter's wheel did not appear until the Iron Age.
In the Middle Ages and the centuries that followed, the craft of ceramics continued without much change.
It was at the beginning of the 19th century that this activity began to develop in earnest and Salernes became the village with the famous "tomettes" (floor tiles) that everyone has seen on the floor of a house from their childhood!
Tomette was initially exported to building merchants in Toulouse, Marseille and Nice, before becoming ubiquitous in construction throughout France.
The small tomettes were used to rebuild houses ruined during the war, particularly those in Toulon.
Ceramics fell out of fashion in the 1960s, and the village of Salernes began converting to enamel and decoration in the 1970s.
Today, workshops perpetuate the tradition and know-how of manufacturing, in particular with the creation of TERRA ROSSAthe House of Architectural Ceramics.
Salernes heritage
The church of Saint Pierre of Salernes in Romanesque style, of Cistercian inspiration with a 12th-century bell tower
The Saint-Jacques chapel and the Notre-Dame de Clarté monastery.
Gourgaret bridgefrom the 17th century
The fountain in the Place de la Révolution
La tholos of the Lauve, an exceptional megalithic tomb on the Lauve plateau in the commune of Salernes.
All these sites are worth discovering during your stay in your campsite near Verdon gorges where you can take advantage of the many cultural visits to do in the Var and the Alpes de Hautes Provence.
Photo credits :
Terra Rossa : https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Salernes_Terra_Rossa_entr%C3%A9e.JPG
JPS68 [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]
Fountain :https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Salernes_fontaine_place_de_la_R%C3%A9volution.jpg
Pierre Bona [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
