These are three ideal islands for discovering the best that the Mediterranean has to offer: the Golden Islands are the jewels of the Var coast, off the coast of Hyères, with Porquerolles, Port-Cros and the Île du Levant. Three islands with their specificity, their atmosphere and their promises, as detailed Thursday on Europe 1 Jean-Bernard Carillet, columnist of Lonely Planet , in the program Et si on partait? with Philippe Gougler.
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Observe the seabed in Port-Cros
Let's start with the one that has been part of the first national marine park in Europe and the Mediterranean, since 1963: Port-Cros, an island synonymous with paradisiacal seabed. Fishing and underwater hunting are prohibited, so that marine life thrives. When you put your head under water, you see sars, corbs, schools of groupers, plump fish with brown livery spotted with white. We even observe species that we would rather think of seeing only in the tropics, such as barracudas. The water is often clear and sometimes exceeds 25 degrees, as at present.
You can also stay dry on the island of Port-Cros. Why not take a meditation break in nature? It's very small, there is no car, no bicycle and everything is done on foot. Port-Cros is a gem and the eternal Mediterranean, as it probably was 100 or 1,000 years ago.
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Naturism on the Ile du Levant
But where are the beaches? Certainly there are pretty coves in Port-Cros. But there are even more natural beaches on the island next door, Île du Levant. There, naturism is compulsory. Moreover, his village Héliopolis is the first naturist area in Europe. The rest of the island is military.
Visit the Carmignac Foundation in Porquerolles
For culture, we go to Porquerolles, the third pearl of this small archipelago off Hyères. Of course, in Porquerolles, there are superb beaches, with turquoise water, bike rides and walks. What differentiates it from the other two is the Carmignac Foundation, an exceptional artistic and cultural site, which saw the light of day in 2018. In the heart of nature, inside and around an old Provencal farmhouse, in the heart of the maquis and pine forest, there are more than 300 works of contemporary art, paintings, sculptures and photos.
We visit this site according to a very particular ritual, while being barefoot. Being barefoot brings silence and energetic contact with the ground. Some big names appear there, like Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The Macron couple love it, it seems.