Cotignac

Cotignac stands with its back to a cliff of tufa about eighty metres high and four hundred long, formed by mineral-laden water depositing limestone over a long period. The rock is soft enough to cut, and generations dug into it: dwellings, storerooms, stables and refuges are hollowed out behind the houses, some on several levels reached by stairs in the rock, used as shelter in troubled centuries. Two towers on top are the remains of a castle. The village below has a plane-shaded main square with fountains, and the surrounding country produces wine, olives and honey.

What you actually see

• The tufa cliff - an eighty-metre wall of soft deposited limestone.
• The rock dwellings - rooms and stairs cut into the cliff behind the village.
• The two towers - castle remnants on the cliff top.
• The shaded square - plane trees and fountains in the centre.

When to go

April to June and September to October; summer is hot and the Provence Verte fills with holidaymakers. Market day brings the square to life. Winter is quiet with less open.

Honest expectations

Access to parts of the troglodyte levels is limited and involves steep rock stairs. The village is small and quiet, with modest facilities. Parking is outside the centre.

Nearby

Brignoles lies south; the Verdon gorge is northeast.