Allauch – Pichauris, Santons and Provençal traditions

Allauch combines a distinctive hilly landscape with Provençal cultural and Christmas traditions. More than two thirds of the municipality’s territory is hilly; the 1,368-hectare Parc départemental de Pichauris is located within the municipality. When planning a stay, this suggests two areas of focus: trails and viewpoints in the natural area, and Santon craftsmanship, festivities and historical sites.

Nature and outdoor activities in Pichauris

The Parc départemental de Pichauris offers several marked trails leading on foot or by bicycle to various viewpoints across the surrounding landscapes. Orienteering courses are also available. This gives you different ways to enjoy the natural area: follow a marked route to a viewpoint or take a purpose-built orienteering course. The viewpoint is the focus of the first option, while navigation along the course takes center stage in the second. This distinction can help you choose activities to suit your interests without reducing the park to just one way of getting around.

Views and history

The Notre-Dame du Château chapel stands at an altitude of 310 meters and dates back to the 12th century. It was once the church of the castrum. The climb to the chapel offers panoramic views of Marseille Bay and the Frioul Islands. Here, a historic building and a named viewpoint come together.

Notre-Dame du Château is also associated with a unique collection listed in the preliminary inventory of France’s artistic treasures. It portrays the life of the local community from the 17th century to the present day. The chapel’s history reaches back to the 12th century, while the collection’s historical perspective extends to the present. Another historic landmark is the Moulin Louis Ricard mill, built by Louis Ricard in 1729.

Santons and Provençal Christmas traditions

The Descente des Bergers is an annual Provençal Christmas celebration. It draws thousands of visitors to the village every year. As the date and program should be checked annually, it is a good idea to consult that year’s announcements before your visit.

The animated nativity scene is another highlight: created by Gilbert Orsini in 1978, it features a procession of 600 Santons. It is on display in the exhibition gallery at the Usine électrique from late November to January. Opening days may vary slightly from year to year, so if the nativity scene is an important reason for your trip, check the dates for that year.

You can also encounter the Santon tradition at Gilbert Orsini’s workshop in the traditional Provençal village. The workshop offers the making, modeling, painting and dressing of traditional Provençal Santons. Santons de Provence Gilbert Orsini also works with antique Santons: they are refurbished and restored, and the workshop also offers exhibitions, purchases and sales. This brings both the creation of new works and restoration into focus as different aspects of the craft.

The Grand Marché de Noël in the village offers regional and artisanal products, food and gift ideas. The participating exhibitors vary from year to year. At the Veillée Calendale, Provençal songs and stories go hand in hand with a tasting of the thirteen desserts. Together with the annual Descente des Bergers and the seasonal nativity scene, these events make for a varied Christmas program; for specific travel plans, however, the dates of each celebration and the nativity scene exhibition are key.

The timing differs: the marked trails and orienteering courses at Parc départemental de Pichauris offer year-round outdoor activities, while the nativity scene is only on display from late November to January. When choosing your travel dates, you can first decide whether landscape and outdoor activities or Santons and Provençal Christmas traditions should be the focus of your trip.

Discover more destinations: Boulbon, Rousset, Arles, Le Grau-Du-Roi, Peypin, Carro, Lambesc, Coudoux

For the broader travel overview: Bouches Du Rhone.