Sainte Anastasie-sur-Issole

• Var (83136) • Population: 1,556 • Altitude: 275 m

Gallery of 8 photos for Sainte Anastasie-sur-Issole

This is a typical village of theVar department, set in a wide valley of vineyards along the lovely Issole river.

Village buildings in bright Provencal pastel colors and shady parks are the best attraction here.

In the northeastern part of the village a road leads out across parks to the river, where an ancient stone bridge crosses the Issole river.

History of Sainte Anastasie-sur-Issole

Name

First record, 1252 Sancta Enestazia

The current village was built towards the end of the 19th century, after the Second Empire.

Prehistoric: The prehistoric grotto of the Horsts had silex points and jewelry [we don't know exactly where this was].

Celto-Ligurian: A Ligurian camp was located on the top of the ridge above the village.

Gallo-Roman: The Hamlet of Naples (now deserted), at the eastern edge of the village, was built on the site on a Roman fort. Remains found here were Roman and Carthaginian.

Medieval: Feudal domain of the Saint-Victor Abbey, then of the Chapter of Pignans. Later, a feif of the domain of Hubert de Garde, lord of Vins (as in Vins-sur-Caramy).

Hiking

• GPS: 43.342101, 6.126083

Maps

IGN (1/25,000) #3445 OT "Cuers, Pierrefeu-du-Var, Collobrières"

IGN (1/25,000) #3444 OT "Brignoles Le Luc"

A very nice 2-hour look hike northeast from the Village goes along the top of the ridge Barre de St-Ouinis. Climbing to 636 m at the highest point, it's 360 m higher than the village. At St-Quinis, the northeastern end of the ridge, is a fabulous view, a chapel, and a fortified grotto said to be the lair of Gaspard de Besse [see Besse-sur-Issole.

There are many other forestry roads and trails in the hills north and south of Sainte Anastasie-sur-Issole, but you should have the IGN map with you.

The GR9 (Grande Randonnée) trail runs east-west along the ridge 4 km south of the village, between Carnoules and Rocbaron.

Dining

A village café in the center with the Bistro de Pays logo provides a basic plat du jour, even on Sundays.

At the southeastern edge of the center, the small L'Oustalet restaurant has a classier selection, and just a couple of outdoor tables for "terrace" dining [Photo-07].

Fun - Amusement - Kids

Touristique Train Center Var

A 24-km tourist train between Carnoules and Brignoles in the Var passes by the northern edge of Sainte Anastasie-sur-Issole.
• Open: April-May: Sundays; Jun-Sept: Sundays-Wednesdays; Oct-Nov 1st: Sundays
Summer: Depart Carnoules 10h, 15h; Depart Brignoles 11h25 (check their website for details)
• Entry: 9 € adults; Children 4-10 years, 5 €
• Web: attcv.ifrance.com

Transportation Sainte Anastasie-sur-Issole

Department 83, Var Buses

See Beyond's Var Department Bus Schedules for downloading the Var bus-lines map [Plan du Reseau] and bus-line schedules [Horaires] (link for PDF files).
Schedules for the Var bus lines are on the VarLib Horaires-Ligne page (http://www.varlib.fr/horaires_ligne/?rub_code=6") - type the line number in the Numéro ... ligne box to access the bus schedule PDF link. (Type a couple of digits in the box to get a list of route numbers.)