The Pelenc forest from Moissac Bellevue

The ponds are real havens of peace and places where wildlife comes to drink especially during the hot summers. If you are discreet, it is not uncommon to see animals that quench their thirst.

If travelling across the plains in spring, you will have the opportunity to see the yellow color of the meadows before arriving at Moissac.

Le ciste cotonneux, ou Cistus albidus, est un arbuste de la famille des Cistaceae, commun dans les régions méditerranéennes. Reconnaissable par ses feuilles persistantes et ses fleurs blanches à roses, cet arbuste pousse dans des sols secs et rocailleux. Il est adapté aux climats arides et supporte bien les périodes de sécheresse. Le ciste cotonneux est souvent utilisé en aménagement paysager pour sa capacité à former des touffes denses et pour sa résistance aux conditions difficiles.

Le scarabée rhinocéros mâle (Oryctes nasicornis) arbore fièrement une corne sur la tête : elle lui sert à soulever ses adversaires et à repousser leurs tentatives d’assauts auprès des femelles ! Il est l’un des plus grands coléoptères d’Europe. Avec ses 20 à 40mm ! Vous le rencontrerez plutôt au crépuscule lorsqu’il prend son envol. Son régime alimentaire est principalement composé de débris végétaux et de bois en décomposition, participant ainsi au processus de décomposition naturelle.

Le papillon Machaon, ou Papilio machaon, est un insecte lépidoptère de la famille des Papilionidae, répandu dans les régions tempérées d'Eurasie et d'Amérique du Nord le Machaon est un pollinisateur important. Ses chenilles se nourrissent principalement de feuilles de carotte sauvage et de fenouil, tandis que les adultes se nourrissent du nectar des fleurs. Leur présence est un indicateur de la santé des écosystèmes, mais ils sont menacés par la perte d'habitat et l'utilisation de pesticides.

This is a profession forgotten today: charcoal burner. In Provence, we say "carbounié". Its origin dates back to the mid-19th century when energy needs transformed the industry and domestic life. The artisanal technique of producing charcoal is long and requires expertise. It is necessary, needless to say, to cut wood. On communal properties, this activity was subject to authorization and, in order to allow the forest to regenerate, cutting and rest are alternated.

In Pelenc, tanks were used as water reserves at the beginning of last century. One of them is called: the "Maquisards’ Tank". This name refers to a forest site located in the woods during the Second World War. The little troop consisting of forty men were not a kind of "maquis", active and armed people, as it often existed in the Haut-Var at the same time. Most charcoal burners exercised this ancient and traditional activity here.

The forest of Pélenc hods a special place in the history of Moissac. This forest of over 600ha mainly composed of green and white oaks has constituted one of the main resources of the village for a long time. The town decided to buy a second source because of the lack of water, and the municipal finances began to suffer from this operation. To pay off the debts, they finally decided however to sell the forest to the Water and Forest department of the State at the end of the century.

Bell tower of the parish church of the transfiguration dedicated to Saint-Sauveur Octagonal bell tower of the mid-19th century. A bull of Pope Gregory IX mentions that it would have been the church of the Templars.

Moissac Bellevue has its origins in Roman times. Then the land belonged successively to the Blacas family of Aups and the Coriolis family. The village was a stronghold in the 11th century and was then renamed in 1939 by the prefect of the Var department to avoid confusion with another Moissac situated in the southwest. This baptism was the occasion to emphasize the exceptional view that the village offers over the plain, the surrounding hills of the Maures Massif as well as Sainte Baume

Located in the lower village, the castle dates from the 17th century. It has belonged to different families: Baron d’Hesmivy, Mr Antoine Emerigon, a rich merchant from Marseille who was appointed controller at the chancellery of the court of Provence in the reign of Louis XVI, and then Mr Laurent Edouard de Coriolis. Abandoned for several decades, the heirs sold it to the current owner in 1992. The castle was remarkably restored so that its authenticity was safeguarded.