The Sainte-Baume National Park
Between Toulon and Marseille, the Sainte-Baume massif culminates at more than 1150 meters, at the signal of the Béguines. The Natural Park is a great playground for the practice of natural leisure activities. For example, you can go hiking, cycling, paragliding, climbing, tree climbing… The fauna and flora are remarkable, with a large number of bird species such as the Tengmalm’s owl, the grey flycatcher, the Jean-le-blanc circaète, the Bonelli’s eagle, the European roller, the diving circle, the red-backed shrike, the red-backed shrike… Spirituality belongs to the past and nourishes the present of Sainte-Baume. Numerous monuments bear witness to this. Mary Magdalene, a character from the Gospels, is said to have spent the last years of her life praying and meditating in a cave at altitude, occupied since the 5th century by a church and a monastery. The Basilica of Saint-Maximin is the largest Gothic building in Provence, and protects the people of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine. At the bend in the road, you may come across dry-stone constructions partly buried. These coolers produced the ice for the inhabitants of Marseille, Toulon or Aix-en-Provence.
