Prades on Vernazobre
In a landscape of scrubland and vineyards, this village with ancient origins calls out to you for a country walk. Prades-sur-Vernazobre can be discovered by strolling in front of its facades with gray and yellow stones, its Sainte Marguerite church with XNUMXth century stained glass windows, then by piercing the heart of its plains.
Here, the landscape is dotted with meadows covered with low-grade species (thyme, rosemary, lavender, cistus) and planted with Aleppo pines, chestnuts, holm oaks and arbutus. These meadows, which inspired the name of the village *, are now giving way to the vines. Classified as AOC Saint Chinian, the vineyard stretches along the Vernazobres river, and on the hillsides. On this terroir, wine producers welcome you for a tour of their estate or a tasting.
On the banks of the Vernazobres which crosses the village, there are still majestic olive trees with trunks battered by the centuries. They stand side by side with old mulberry trees from the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, a period when silkworms were raised. This spectacle of colors and scents will take you to the Town Hall Square: the start of a hike 8,7km hike n°39 “St Martin de Dounaro”.
To enjoy the authenticity of this village just a few kilometers from the Canal du Midi and the beaches of the Mediterranean, accommodation quality welcome you for a rejuvenating stay.
* Prades comes from pratis = near
His history
The geographical singularity of the village has always been conducive to habitat as evidenced by the pottery of 6000 that have been found there. The village was also inhabited during the Gallo-Roman period before being struck by the barbarian invasions: the chapel of Saint Martin is a witness of this time. Although present since antiquity, the vine has developed. The village moved under the protection of Sainte-Marguerite and a church was erected in 1542. The economy took off and a mill was built in Commeyras in 1555. Several factories were erected at a place called “Les Tuileries” in 1596 and in "Les Mourelous" in 1599. Farmhouses spread around the central village: La Rouvelane in 1587, La Maurerie in 1606. It was not until 1900 that the village acquired its independence.
Its essentials
- Wine tasting
- An 8,7 km hike along the path n ° 39 “St Martin de Dounaro”.
- The Church of Sainte Marguerite (XNUMXth century)
- The chapel of Saint Martin de Donaro
- The banks of the Vernazobres
- La Matte de Chavardes, a former Gallo-Roman estate
