| WHY GO |
| By reputation, the Var is the least alluring part of Provence: the boring bit between the Bouches-du-Rhone and the Alpes-Maritimes through which the A8 autoroute runs monotonously. It is a départment with not much history and Toulon, the capital of Var, is a sprawling naval port; but, if you leave the A8 at Le Muy and head north into the Haut Var, you soon encounter panoramas that are anything but monotonous: vast forests of cypress, oak and pine; plunging gorges, waterfalls, caves and hilltop villages every bit as seductive as their better-known and far more expensive counterparts along the Cote d'Azur or the Vaucluse. It is the sense of serenity that makes the central and upper Var so unexpectedly appealing. It is also the gastronomic heartland of the region, with glorious daily markets and superb food. |
 |
