The best MTB trails around Fontès

Traditional lime burning is part of traditional masonry techniques, useful for the restoration of old buildings. This lime kiln in Sallèles has recently been put back into operation.

The Baumes volcano is the origin of basaltic flows that have shaped a plateau through a process of relief inversion. In addition to its geological interest, it is a natural viewpoint offering a pretty panorama of the surroundings.

The causse de Nizas offers a beautiful perspective on the basalt plateau called planèze. This environment is crossed by herds, the few limestone springs have been developed by lime kilns.

Caux is a superb place for cycling. The village is surrounded by small country roads ideal for quiet riding, with very little traffic. For mountain biking and gravel, there are also numerous dirt paths. All this in a superb landscape of vineyards and causse.

Caux is recognizable from afar by its church, whose bell tower can be seen. The vineyards surrounding the town make the landscape even more sublime.

La Seigneurie de Peyrat recalls the history of the great "country houses" that once surrounded Pézenas. Located on an old agricultural estate, probably occupied since the Gallo-Roman era, this place became in the 17th century the country residence of the Peyrat family, who transformed the old Montplaisir farm into an elegant wine estate. Its history is intimately linked to that of Pézenas: in 1660, the estate is said to have hosted the young Louis XIV and Cardinal Mazarin during their passage through the town. Enlarged and embellished over the centuries, with its towers, its inner courtyards, its chapel and its gardens, Peyrat bears witness to the refinement of the great rural properties of Languedoc.

Amidst the vineyards, the Saint-Jean-de-Bébian priory tells nearly a thousand years of history between religious heritage and wine culture. Occupied since the Gallo-Roman era, this terroir was then shaped by the religious who developed a priory there and cultivated the vine from the Middle Ages. After the French Revolution, the estate became private property before experiencing a new renaissance in the 20th century, participating in the revival of the great wines of Languedoc. Around the old chapel and the historic buildings, the landscape recalls that the vine is not just an agricultural activity: here it is the heir to a long human history. There is a starred restaurant.

Pézenas is not just about Molière, even though the playwright stayed there several times between 1650 and 1656 under the protection of the prince de Conti. The city was for a long time one of the most influential in Languedoc: the States of Languedoc met there regularly, and Louis XIII, Richelieu, or the prince de Conti stayed there. While strolling through the narrow streets, keep your eyes open: many doors still retain their original knockers and ironwork, testaments to the skill of Pézenas artisans. A tradition that is perpetuated today by the Musée de la Porte et de la Ferronnerie, unique in France. Finally, one last curiosity: the famous Maison de Molière should not be misleading. Despite its name, there is nothing to confirm that the playwright lived there. Local tradition rather holds that he liked to settle in the barber Gély's shop, where he observed the inhabitants and their foibles, a source of inspiration that is said to have fueled several of his future characters.