Discover Brue-Auriac: Winegrowing and Heritage

Brue-Auriac brings together Romanesque religious history, winegrowing and a striking landmark: the Pigeonnier de Brue. For your stay, the Chapelle Notre-Dame, visits to wine producers and a wine-themed walking trail offer three different ways to explore the area. You can discover the town through its architectural history, a wine tasting or a route exploring the history of winegrowing.

Chapel and dovecote

The Chapelle Notre-Dame is a Romanesque chapel dating from the 12th century, with a priory attached. It served as a parish church in the 19th century and has been listed in the inventory of historic monuments since 1971. Its transition from a Romanesque religious building to a parish church shows that its ecclesiastical use continued beyond its original construction period.

At the Pigeonnier de Brue, the architectural form takes centre stage. The cylindrical tower is 22.5 metres high and 12.43 metres wide. Built around 1750 by Georges Roux de Corse, it is the largest 18th-century dovecote recorded in France. Its dimensions give the building a different emphasis from the chapel: here, form and scale shape the impression, while the chapel is defined by its Romanesque period and religious use.

Winegrowing and visits to producers

The vineyards of Domaine Masson cover more than 20 hectares at the foot of the Bessillon massif. The estate offers a cellar tour followed by a tasting of six cuvées. The size of the vineyards and their setting at the foot of the massif give winegrowing a landscape context, while the cellar visit puts the tasting centre stage.

Bastide de Fave offers a tour of the estate and a wine tasting by prior arrangement. Domaine de Cantarelle offers estate tours from Monday to Friday by prior reservation. If you plan one of these visits, take account of the prior arrangements or reservation required; for Cantarelle, the days of the week are also part of the planning.

Walking trail and treasure hunt

The Sentier Randonner Autrement – De vigne en vigne walking trail is 5.0 kilometres long and runs from the Chapelle Notre-Dame to the hamlet of Saint-Estève in Brue-Auriac. Its themes include the history of winegrowing, the seasons and the processing of vines, as well as the story of the Greek god Dionysus. The route thus combines a historical perspective on winegrowing with themes related to the changing seasons and vine processing; Dionysus adds a connection to Greek mythology.

The “Les secrets des pigeons Brussois” treasure hunt takes place in the village of Brue-Auriac and lasts 1 hour and 15 minutes. Together with the walking trail, it offers a practical comparison for planning: the trail is described by its length of 5.0 kilometres, while the treasure hunt is defined by its duration of 1 hour and 15 minutes. This lets you choose between a route with winegrowing themes and a timed puzzle activity.

Discover more destinations: Seillons-Source-D'argens, Meounes-Les-Montrieux, Cogolin, Mazaugues, Fayence, Montferrat, La Mole, La Verdiere

See the broader travel overview: Var.