Send Gift Baskets to Aubagne, France

Maison Natale de Marcel Pagnol

This 19th-century Bourgeois house on Cours Barthélemy was the birthplace of the 20th-century author, playwright, and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol. Pagnol’s novels and plays remain on the curriculum in French schools, and his influence remains strong.

Musée de la Légion Etrangère

Since 1962, Aubagne has been home to the First Foreign Regiment of the French Foreign Legion. There is also a museum about this legendary French Army branch at the Viénot Barracks.

Ceramics

1. Aubagne has been a pottery town for hundreds of years. Its santons are terracotta figurines created for nativity scenes after the Revolution and poke fun at the clergy.

Ateliers Thérèse Neveu

Ateliers Thérèse Neveu is named after Thérèse Neveu, an early-20th-century santon maker whose work was praised by contemporary celebrities such as Frédéric Mistral.

Petit Monde de Marcel Pagnol

An exhibition that combines the ceramics industry of Aubagne with the art of Marcel Pagnol. Those who know Pagnol’s works will enjoy seeing his characters rendered into figurines from his books, plays, and movies.

Santons Maryse di Landro

Visit the workshop on the first floor to learn about this 200-year-old craft that has been passed down from generation to generation. A nativity scene, an image from Jesus’ life, a romantic recreation of Aubagne as it used to be, pétanque, Toulon’s prison ships, and a classic Provençal wedding are among the 400 saints displayed in the museum.

Massif du Garlaban

Pagnol was inspired by the aromatic garrigue scrub that covers the hills outside Aubagne. Visit the Grotte de Grosibou and the Grotte des Romans at the Pic du Taoumé if you are familiar with La Gloire de mon Père and Le Château de ma Mère.

Domaine de la Font de Mai

With 100 hectares of gardens, woodland, and rugged garrigue countryside, it’s the trailhead for most local walks. Farmhouses and outbuildings depict traditional farming in Provence and rural life in the region at the turn of the 20th century.

Distillerie Janot

It might surprise you that most pastis aren’t distilled but made from base alcohol infused with star anise essence. Aside from comparing pastis to absinthe, you’ll also discover how the two drinks differ.

Calanques National Park

Calanques are steep mountain ranges colliding with the Mediterranean, the Massif des Calanques. The result is a series of white limestone creeks that plummet hundreds of meters into the sea.