| Frejus
Situated between Cannes and St Tropez, I hour from
the Italian border, Frejus can be approached by car
from either the RN7 or by the A8 motorway, by train,
or by air into Nice Cote d'Azur airport. Frejus blends
into neighbouring Saint Raphael.
History
Frejus is a medieval city as well as a popular seaside
resort. Created by the Romans Frejus attracts many
tourists because of its history, cultural and artistic
qualities, its well kept beaches, the sea and sporting
facilities.
There are numerous places of interest in the area,
all are reasonably accessible from Frejus because
of its good location on the map.At present its habitants
total 45,000 and the town offers a broad spectrum
of activities. The history of Frejus is very similar
to that of Provence, it has lived through many Saracens
invasions which took place between the 7th and the
9th century. It has been destroyed many times in spite
of the presence of the Roman Legion. In 49 BC Julius
Cesar decided to have the Adrian Way built to link
Italy through to Spain.In those days the Phoceans
of Marseille had already set up a colony on the site,
but it was the Roman emperor who gave the port its
prosperity and the city its name of 'Forum Julii'
meaning 'Jules market' and the port Claustra Maris
(The sea bolt). It went on to become one of the most
important ports in the Mediterranean, until the Pax
Romana, by denying Forum Julii its military activity,
marked the beginning of its decline. The decadence
of Rome naturally led to that of the city. The sea
encroached on the land while invasions by the Saracens
and pirates left the monuments in ruin. By the 10th
century there was very little left of the colony,
mostly rubble. Sea-borne silt clogged up the port
and led to the formation of a huge swampy plain, which
then separated the village from the sea.
Walks/Places to Visit :
Forum Julii still has a lot of its ruins and an exceptional
archaeological value. There's the Roman Amphitheatre,
arcades of the Oree Gate, and remains of the Aquaduct
arches. There is also the Cathedrale,Chapel Jean Cocteau
, Aurelienne's villa and Aurelien's park. The rhythm
and mood still lives on today with many exhibitions,
theatre and classical music events.
Also keeping up with it's many traditions and artistic
qualities. Frejus organizes throughout the year different
fairs, there's the pottery fair and the Bravade (street
market bargains), in and amongst its Roman and Gothic
architecture, the 'old tile' roof tops and tinted
walls, everything blends in nicely with the recently
developed port, it's- neo palladium design and carefully
selected colours of Provence gives it's unique identity.
Port Frejus which has a capacity of 750 moorings,
is surrounded by beautiful fine sandy beaches. The
town is very conscience of its natural heritage, in
the background there is the massif de l'Esterel, the
(Esterel hills) and it 'Nature' base situated on the
sea edge, as well as protecting the area and its environment
there are many sporting events held here. There's
the well talked about annual 'Roc Azur' mountain bike
event, which is open to everyone French or otherwise,
all ages. There are plenty of walks to enjoy, the
most recommended walk is to see the famous 'Malpasset'
dam, which in 1959 burst and partly destroyed the
town uprooting everything in its passage, only the
ancient monuments withstood the torrential floodwaters.
It also caused many deaths. Nowadays right along the
length of the dam remains, you can find all sorts
of Mediterraen flora: Heather, Pine, Oak and wild
Strawberry trees (Arbousiers).
Leisure / Culture
Frejus is a sound bet if you have kids to entertain
with its number of activity centres in the vicinity
designed specially for them. If you can't find what
you are looking for in Frejus, there are many other
attractions not too far away, There's a number of
outdoor activities available from March to October.
At the Local Sailing Club (Club municipal de Voile)
you'll find a wide choice, i.e. catamaran, wind surfing,
and many more. At the Port Frejus Deep Sea Diving
club (Club la Palanquee) you can take part in various
organised diving trips down to see wrecks, reefs and
walls of coral, there is also night diving.
Base nature : 150 hectares of which 1200m at the seaside between Fréjus and Saint Aygulf, a magnificent surrounding. Equipped with various sport grounds: football, volleyball, roller-skating, skating, mountain bikes, playgrounds for the little ones, tarred routes for biking and walking all over the base. A surrounding where your vitality will be boosted. Enjoy the Open Air!
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