Local Area
Villa Fontenelles overlooks the picturesque village of Fayence and is located approx 15 minutes from Autoroute A8 Exit 39, and 45 min from Nice airport.
It is ideally placed for trips to both the Luberon to the west and Cannes and Monaco on the French Riviera to the east. Nearby there are a large number of restaurants, some with Michelin stars, as well as a number of supermarkets. A championship golf-course, Terre Blanche, is 10 minutes drive away. All the other major French Riviera attractions are within 30-45 minutes drive.
AND - You will be able to stroll down to the bakery for the fresh croissants in the morning or enjoy a glass of wine in the afternoon at one of the numerous good restaurants in Fayence.
Fayence
Fayence is only a 2 minutes walk away from the villa. The village is full of middle age charm, with several very good restaurants and small romantic streets. The sun-kissed village is typical of Provence and its origins are rooted far back in the splendour of the Roman period. In the cobbled-stone streets ,it is possible to find a quiet table to enjoy local wine or a tasty lunch before continuing to explore the winding streets of this beautiful village. The village has 5200 inhabitants and is a lively spot all year round.
 |
 |
 |
Dining out
Fayence and the surrounding villages offer a variety of excellent restaurants. Fayence itself has more than 20 resturants, from cafès to Michelin stars.
Le France and Le Temps des Cerises both have great food and good value. Le Provencal is also a well recommended resturant with homemade tasty dishes. La Farigoulette, at the top of the hill, is popular with local residents who appreciate the warm welcome throughout the year. The Castellaras restaurant (between Fayence and Seillans) is in a beautiful Provençal farmhouse which holds the title 'Table Gourmet du Var' offering delicious Mediterranean dishes and a good choice of wines including several produced locally. On sunny days the terrace is shaded by a majestic plane tree and visitors are welcome to enjoy the rose garden with views of the Fayence valley and the hills of Esterel. La Table d'Yves, 1 km south of the village, is a pretty house with blue shutters which has a wonderful view from the terrace and serves excellent Cuisine du Terroir (local delicacies). Moulin de la Camandoul is also a very nice restaurant and hotel not far from the house.
The Domaine de Terre Blanche is a chic five star resort with award winning cuisine and one of Europe's most beautiful spas. In addition to the Michelin starred Faventia restaurant, there is a hilltop terrace for al fresco dining and the Tousco Grill for casual meals or cocktails by the pool.
See Tripadvisor for recommendations and reviews.
 |
 |
 |
Weekly Market
The popular village market in the Place de l'Église in front of the 18th century church is open three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) and gives the village a very special atmosphere. This is where the locals meet and shop their vegetables and meats from the local farmers. The market also offers other typical Provençal products and gift items.
 |
 |
 |
Fayence also hosts many specialist markets, for example: the Antiques’ Market 4 times a year; An Art Fair 3rd Sunday in July with over 60 artists and Artisans and an Exhibition of “Provence Gourmande” on Sunday in mid August.
The South of France also offers several much larger markets at Antibes and Nice on various days of the week and Le Muy on Sundays.
Here is an overview of marketdays in other villlages in Provence: Markets in Provence
Pays de Fayence
Set against a pottery-blue backdrop, the little hilltop villages of Pays de Fayence stand guard over the distant sea. This is the very essence of the land of blue-green and gold.
Pays de Fayence abounds with treasures, such as the villages of Mons, Callian, Tourrettes, Montaroux and Seillans. Fayence is the largest of the villages.
Tourist Office Fayence :
Phone: +33 (0) 4 94 76 20 08
Mail: ot.fayence@wanadoo.fr
Webpage: www.paysdefayence.com
 |
 |
 |
Activities
Fayence has the best of it all! Besides enjoying life at the villa you are invited to explore the area around.
French Riviera/Beaches
The Cote D`azur with it’s beaches, restaurants, night life and all the various attractions of the coastline is a short drive away, the closest, Mandelieu La Napoule and Theole sur Mer are about 30 minutes drive away, followed by Frejus and St Raphael around 35 minutes, St Maxime is about 40 minutes whilst St Tropez is just over an hour, as is Monte Carlo.
Cannes is 35 minutes away whilst Nice is a 45 minute drive. Italy is also only about 1 hour 15 minutes!
Fayence is Junction 39 off the A8 which offers fast easy access to all these towns and cities.
 |
 |
 |
Local wine /vineyards
There are a wealth of vineyards, tours and wine tasting in the Var region of Provence. Luckily, there are two vineyards close to home to keep your taste buds busy! One of them, Domaine Grand Bastide is located in the neighbouring village Tourrettes. Visit to see for yourself why their wines have won an array of accolades and awards. Contact Le Grande Bastide for more information and directions.
Château des Selves is a third generation family vineyard in the village of Seillans. Discover not just their red, white and rosé wines, but also a selection of their estate olive oils and jams.
A little tip: It’s worth a call in advance to let the vineyard know you’re coming. A little courtesy for them to prepare ahead, which also serves to confirm that someone will be at home and not out in the vines. English is commonly spoken.
For more info: Call in at the local tourist office for details of other vineyards in the region.
 |
 |
 |
Art and Museums
Fondation Maeght (St. Paul de Vance): The best of all modern art museums in the area with paintings, sculptures; drawings and graphic works from the 20th century: Bonnard, Braque, Calder, Chagall, Giacometti, Léger, Miró. The museum itself is located in a beautiful garden which is also the setting of large sculptures.
Marc Chagall museum (Nice): The Musée Marc Chagall is located on a hill in the Cimiez quarter. Just walk up the Boulevard de Cimiez and have a look at the nice big old villas on your way. The museum itself isn't too big, but shows a fine collection of Marc Chagall's artworks. The building’s architecture accentuates the pictures in a very good way.
Picasso museum (Antibes): In this museum you will find paintings made in 1949, when Picasso lived in Antibes and Vallauris. This was apparently one of the happiest periods of his life, as he was in love with a woman and with the Riviera´ sun. It is a great setting, in the old castle on the sea front, right in the old centre.
Sport
Golf
The mild climate of the South of France is ideal for golf lovers in the spring, autumn and winter time. Here is a small excerpt from a variety of golf courses near to Fayence. They include:
Route de Bagnols,Tourrettes, Tel – 33 – (0)4 94 39 36 93 - Fax – 33 – (0)4 94 39 36 98
 |
 |
Les Domaines de Saint Endréol:
Route de bagnols en Forêt - 83920 La motte en Provence, Tel : +33 (0)4 94 51 89 80 - Fax : +33 (0)4 94 51 89 81
424 Avenue du Roi - 06250 Mougins, Tel: +33.(0)4.92.92.49.69 - Fax: +33.(0)4.92.92.49.70
Golf et Tennis Club de Valescure:
Avenue de Valescure - Route des golfs, Tél : 04 94 82 40 46 - Fax : 04 94 82 41 42
Gliding
The airfield on the plain just south of the town of Fayence is a major sailplane (gliders) centre. Founded in 1935, the gliding club is considered the best in Europe, and you'll see sailplanes here from across France and other European countries. Fayence hosted the world championships in 1995.
Water sports
The lake St Cassien is a beautiful wild lake, which is about 7km long and up to 3km wide. The lake is stretched between Les Adrets and Fayence. Here you can do all kind of water sports from boating, fishing to just simply swimming.
Hiking
Trails directly around Fayence mostly follow the small roads, since the area is pretty well built-up. There's plenty of spectacular, challenging hiking!
A beautiful area for hiking is Grand Canyon of Verdon and it is a rewarding daytrip. This immense and magnificent canyon is at the far south-eastern end of Provence. It offers trails for every level, from day hikes, to multiday treks, to canyoning, to paragliding, to floating slow and easy rivers. All that said, keep in mind that experts claim this is one of the best locations in the world for climbing.
Hire a pedalo (with water slide) at Lac de St.Croix and meander down the river looking up several hundred meters of rock wall. For the more ambitious, take the six hours Sentier Martel hike along the Verdon.
Skiing
Isola 2000 is an ideal day trip and it is about 2 hours drive from Fayence and offers skiing at 2000 metres altitude from December to April. Gréolières Les Neiges is 1 1/2 hours drive and offers skiing at 1400-1700 metres altitude from Christmas to March. The resort, though relatively small, is good for learning and can be excellent after a big snowfall. In this resort they have also snow cannons. Furthermore you can go to Auron, which is a very nice resort, not too big, not too small. You can hire everything you need at the resorts. Just bring warm clothes as, even if it's in the south of France, you're in the mountains!
