The Albaron marsh in Saliers by bike

Rice is an emblematic product of Camargue. The Maison du Riz, an educational space in the heart of the Camargue, presents the evolution of rice farming from its beginnings to the present day. Various spaces have been created to display the specific equipment for rice cultivation and rice milling as well as to present the evolution of the rice grain and its different stages of processing. The Roziere family, passionate rice farmers, welcome visitors to a real farm.

Rice farming has been present in the Camargue since the post-war period. Complex, this culture follows several stages: lifting, tillering, bolting, return and flowering. The land is flooded to promote the germination of rice grains and prevent the proliferation of fungi. Rice farming therefore requires freshwater irrigation and extensive drainage to develop the saltiest land. Huge amounts of water between the two arms of the Rhône (400 million m3 per year) are needed.

The Lauricet wood, located along the Petit Rhône, is one of the few wooded areas of the Camargue. The Camargue environment is strongly marked by salt and only the banks of the river and its alluvial ridges escape this influence. These protective forests are called riparian forests. On the banks of the river, the woods survive thanks to the fresh water they need. They develop a much more luxuriant vegetation. These woods are important habitats for local wildlife.

In the greater Camargue, the marais de Saliers represent one of the main zones of marshes and ponds soft or brackish. This Camargue sector fluvio-lacustrine includes a mosaic of natural habitats such as reed beds, typhids, wet meadows, saladella lawns, but also sansouïres and agricultural areas, mainly rice paddies. The cattle industry is also well represented. Les marais de Saliers formerly occupied a large part of the territory.

The Petit-Rhône is an arm of the Rhône delta which marks the administrative boundary between the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Occitanie regions, between the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône and Gard, and more symbolically between the Camargue gardoise and the great Camargue. It separates from the Grand Rhone north of Arles to reach the Mediterranean Sea near Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. The Petit-Rhône is recognized as an important site for the recovery of migratory fish.

Saint-Gilles, gateway to the Camargue, is located on the Chemin de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle, this is the first step on the way to Arles. Since 1998, the abbey church of Saint-Gilles is a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the Chemins de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle. The old medieval center confirms the rich heritage of Saint-Gilles. Because of its geographical position, between the hillsides of Costières and Camargue, the landscapes that surround the city are changing.

In 1996, bull meat was the first red meat to obtain the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC). It gets the Protected Designation of Origin in 2011. In addition to the delimitation of a strict geographical area where the animal must be born, bred and slaughtered, the farms must meet specifications that impose in particular the exclusivity of breeds of Biòu and Combat and the practice of extensive breeding. Bullfighting in the Camargue is mainly for bull games.

The name of Saliers (Salliers) comes from the fact that the village was a deposit of salt until 1246. A second etymological hypothesis is based on a Provençal derivative: salo (room, then house, castle). In the Middle Ages, Saliers is one of the largest agricultural estates in the Camargue. Particularly fertile, the whole area was covered with wheat fields, meadows, fruit trees. At this time, les Templiers, then les Hospitaliers de Saint-Jean-de-Jérusalem are the lords.