Explore Salernes through a range of specific interests: architectural ceramics, industrial flour production, religious architecture and a designated natural area. There are also visits and tastings at an oil mill, as well as a pottery class. If you are planning a stay, you can first decide which of these aspects you would like to focus on. The sites are very different: Terra Rossa brings together ceramic history and tiles, the Minoterie illustrates mechanised production, while the church and Vallon offer an architectural and natural focus, respectively.
Ceramic history at Terra Rossa
Terra Rossa is a museum dedicated to architectural ceramics. Its archaeological exhibition covers 7,000 years of ceramic activity in the Salernes area. The museum also presents a collection of more than 2,000 decorated tiles dating from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. The exhibition and collection offer different perspectives: the exhibition spans a long period of ceramic activity in the area, while the tile collection brings together specific decorated objects from several centuries. Visitors interested in ceramics will find both a broad historical context and a clearly defined group of objects here. Ceramics are therefore more than just one theme of a trip: the museum explores the subject through both archaeology and design.
The Minoterie and religious architecture
The preserved Minoterie de Saint-Barthélémy illustrates mechanised flour production, with machinery arranged across three levels. By decree of 22 October 2018, the building, including all its machinery, was fully listed as a historic monument. The three-level arrangement makes the spatial organisation of the technology part of the industrial complex.
The Église Saint Pierre de Salernes is a 13th-century church in the Romanesque-Cistercian style, with a campanile and a sundial. These features provide a different focus from the Minoterie: there, the emphasis is on flour-production technology; here, it is on religious architecture, its date and its distinctive details.
Oil mill, tasting and pottery class
Moulin à huile Olivado offers visits to the oil mill and tastings of tapenades, jams, anchoïades and flavoured oils. Olivado welcomes visitors daily throughout the year by appointment; confirm your appointment before travelling. This culinary activity is distinct from the town’s cultural and historical themes: the focus is on the oil mill and the tastings on offer.
Another connection with ceramics is a pottery class run by Humblot Anne-Laure at 18 Boulevard Paul Cotte, 83690 Salernes. Check the address before setting off.
A protected natural area
Vallon de Saint-Barthélémy, at the Site de Saint-Barthélémy, is designated a protected Espace Naturel Sensible. Its protected status is the specific nature-related feature in this selection, setting it apart from the museum, mill and church architecture. If you would like to include a designated protected area in your plans alongside cultural attractions, the Vallon offers a distinct point of interest.
Discover more destinations: Sainte-Anastasie-Sur-Issole, Plan-D'aups-Sainte-Baume, Bormes-Les-Mimosas, Bargème, Chateaudouble, Sollies-Toucas, Boulouris-Sur-Mer, Callas
For the broader travel overview: Var.
