The city of Cassis, often compared to a small Saint-Tropez, is a fishing port nestled in a natural setting where pine forests, ocher and white rocks, vineyards and terraces stretch out to the Mediterranean Sea. Overlooked by the castle of Cassis, dating from the 8th century, Cassis is protected by two monuments of nature, the Cap Canaille (the highest sea cliff in Europe) glowing in the mistral and the Calanques of white limestone.
'Whoever has seen Paris and not Cassis has seen nothing. '
The words of Frédéric Mistral alone translate the tremendous attraction that Cassis has on all those who go there: a concentrate of Provence and the Mediterranean. The magic already operates on the small road which leads to the village which winds between vineyards and pine forest. The charm is revealed by walking through the narrow streets and squares lined with fishermen's houses in pastel colors.
Nature surrounds the village on all its sides with a colorful and preserved belt: to the north the tender green of the vineyards, to the south the indigo of the open sea, to the east the ocher of Cap Canaille, to the west the white cliffs and turquoise Calanques.
These were formed 120 million years ago, sea valleys have widened since, creating veritable miniature fjords, sometimes sheltering magnificent natural coves. The Calanques have given profusely the 'stone of Cassis', which made the fame of this small fishing port in the world. Today, it is used to make decorative objects and souvenirs.
With these 3000 hours of sunshine per year, the city is famous for the song of the summer cicadas, the turquoise coves, the pebble beaches and above all the vineyards, planted exclusively in the town of Cassis, which are among the very first Appellations d ' Origin Controlled in 1936.
