Between the Cévennes and the plain of Languedoc, the scrublands of the Gard cover more than half the Department. Undulating waves of evergreen oaks and Aleppo and thorny pines dominate this landscape of chalky plateaus. The latter are separated by slight depressions, such as the Alès or Lédignan basins, and are scored with superb winding gorges where the Ardèche, the Cèze and the Gardon rivers flow, and sometimes rage.

Two elements dominate the country-side: olive trees and dry stone. That is what man has used to tame this seemingly hostile environment.

The olive tree, the tree of life and symbol of the Mediterranean, has been present in the Nîmes region for thousands of years. Over the centuries, man has learned to master its cultivation and maximize its harvest.

The other omnipresent element dry-stone allowed man to build walls and enclosures, dwellings of piled stone, shelters, shepherds’ huts, peasant farmhouses, and terraces…
Plants also make up a large part of the vegetation… and the fragrant ones certainly don’t lack character! They impart all their perfume to the scrubland… the smells of thyme, rosemary, lavender or wild thyme.

Highlights...

The old Junas quarries… a magical and enchanting place, and man-made
Since Medieval times, the peasant quarriers cut the stone to extract the materials needed to build their houses. Each year they leased concessions of quarry land from the district which they worked during the winter when there was less work in the fields. It was they who gave this carved monumental quality to these quarries.

Chance flaws in the stone meant there were some rock tailings forming columns at the heart of the quarry.

In the whole of the region’s cultural landscape, it is impossible to tell with certainty whether a building has been built using only Junas stone. It is only known that it was widely used for building in surrounding villages (within a radius of 10 15 km).

The exploitation of this shell-laden chalk bed ceased in the middle of the 20th Century.

Today these quarries serve as a backdrop to summer entertainment events such as Rencontres de la Pierre (Stone Meetings) and the Jazz Festival in Junas.

Sauve - Making Pitchforks
In Sauve, the hackberry elm, the wood used for centuries to make the renowned pitchfork, is called a 'forker'. When it reaches five years old, the bush is cut to ground level. Each year, shoots sprout from this stump and are pruned to form the 3 tines of the fork. It is then cut and shaped in the workshop.

More Information

Gard Department of Tourism
3, rue Cité Foulc
B.P. 122
30010 NIMES Cedex 4

Tél : 0033 (0)4 66 36 96 30

contact@tourismegard.com
http://www.tourismegard.com/

© Comité Départemental du Tourisme du Gard

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