Parc départemental du Plan des Noves

A plateau covering 904 hectares was acquired in 1987 and offers a magnificent view stretching from the sea to the Mercantour mountain range. Away from major urban areas, the Plan des Noves sector features a mosaic of environments that preserve a rich biological diversity and follow a management approach different from that of other departmental natural parks. Here and there, clusters of majestic oak trees catch the eye. Thickets of wild roses and blackthorn shelter a multitude of passerine birds. In certain hollows, walnut trees can still be found, which are believed to be the origin of the site’s name… Circular burial mounds measuring between 4 and 15 meters in diameter were used as graves, as evidenced by the bones and ornaments discovered there. Most date back to the Bronze Age. More recently, in the 18th and 19th centuries, farmers piled stones collected in baskets to expand arable land and create terraced walls. Shepherds built simple dry-stone huts, lacking any comfort, which allowed them to sleep close to their flocks.