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Key figures

Origin and history

The Esterel Massif is a 32 000 hectare volcanic mountain massif located in the South-East of France, between Saint-Raphaël (Var) and Mandelieu-la-Napoule (Alpes-Maritimes). From hercynian origin, it is marked by intense volcanic activity in the Permian (250 million years ago), forming red rhyolites and basalts. Its shredded relief and acidic soils make it a distinctive Mediterranean ecosystem, between sea and mountain.

The Esterel was occupied as early as Paleolithic, as can be seen from the Noailles burins found near Agay. In the iron age, Celto-ligure peoples, such as the Oxybians, left oppidums and dry stone fortresses, still visible today. The rhyolites were exploited from antiquity to make grinding wheels, an activity that was interrupted in the 14th century before returning to the 18th century.

The Aurelian Way, built from 241 B.C., crossed the region, connecting Fréjus (Forum Julii) to Rome. In the Middle Ages, the massif became a den of robbers, such as Gaspard de Besse in the 18th century, and a refuge for the escaped forces of the Toulon bagne. The cave of Saint-Honorat, linked to the hermit Honorate of Arles (fourth century), attracted pilgrims before he went into exile to the islands of Lerins.

In the 19th century, the Esterel was built for logging ( cork, cade wood) and fire prevention, with the construction of roads and firewalls by the engineer Auguste-Eugène Muterse. The gold cornice, inaugurated in 1903, became a tourist symbol. During the Second World War, the landing of Provence (15 August 1944) took place on the beach of Dramont, marking its military history.

Today, the massif is protected by nature reserves and firewalls, sheltering fauna (cerfs, wild boar, turtles from Hermann) and Mediterranean flora adapted to its poor soils. Partly listed in Natura 2000, it attracts hikers, beekeepers and divers, despite the risks of fires and erosion associated with the Mediterranean climate.

Its name, Esterel, could come from the old Provençal estelell ("sun") or Latin sterilis ("sterile"), reflecting its arid landscapes. The porphyric rocks, similar to those of the calanques of Piana in Corsica, bear witness to its turbulent geological history, linked to the separation of Corsica and Sardinia from the Miocene.

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