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Ollières is a tiny village in a wooded valley about 4 km northwest of St-Maximin-la-Ste-Baume. Small and without commerce, Ollières is a pretty little cluster of Medieval houses packed on a small hill, topped with a Medieval chateau that shares its site with the Château d'Ollières winery.
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Nearby: |
Aix-en-Provence 45 km |
Barjols 25 km |
Bras 15 km |
Brignoles 25 km |
Brue-Auriac 15 km |
Rians 17 km |
Saint Martin-de-Pallières 20 km |
Saint Maximin 5 km |
Seillons-Source-d'Argens 6 km |
Tourves 12 km |
Hotels near Ollières: |
5 km Saint Maximin |
12 km Tourves |
15 km Bras |
25 km Brignoles |
45 km Aix-en-Provence |
The open, grassy hillside beside the village gives a lovely view across the forested hills nearby, and down across a pretty little park to a shady parking area below the road that's popular for picnic lunching.
Ollières is a pretty little place, without tourist attractions, but quiet and peaceful. It's a great place for a rest and a picnic, and visiting the winery and chateau if you're here during the week.
Ollières' only café-restaurant is a pizza place during the week, and offers standard village fare on weekends. Very basic, but very friendly. We had a nice home-cooked daube and a salad.
History
Name
First record, 1008 Oliarrias. The name probably derived from "Oules", from a bulbous pottery that was manufactured here in the Middle Ages.
From the 10th to the 20th centuries (950 - 1919), Ollières was one of the "Three Grand Lands" of Provence, along with Cadarache and Gémenos.
Gallo-Roman:
Signs of Roman occupation were found here, at a place called "La Pièce Romaine" (literally, The Roman Coin). We couldn't find a place with that name on our IGN hiking map.
Wine
Château d'Ollieres
Wine tasting and sale. Visit the Chateau d'Ollieres.
Location:
In the village, at the top.
Open: Mon-Fri, 9h-12h30, 14h-17h30
Tel: 0494 598 557
Email: info@chateau-ollieres.com
Web: www.chateau-ollieres.com
Transportation Ollières
Bus
Department 83, Var Buses
See Beyond's Bus Schedules Page 16: Var Department for downloading Var bus-lines map [Plan du Reseau] and bus-line schedules [Horaires] (link for PDF files).
Hiking
Maps:
IGN (1/25,000) #3344 OT "St-Maximim - Barjols"
There are no marked hiking trails from Ollières, but a very large expanse of forested hills extending northeast and north from the village could be explored. Begin at the east side of the little bridge at the southeast end of the village.
Lodging - Hotels
Hotels in Towns Nearby to Ollières
• 5 km — Saint Maximin hotels
• 12 km — Tourves hotels
• 15 km — Bras hotels
• 25 km — Brignoles hotels
• 45 km — Aix-en-Provence hotels
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Photo gallery of 13 photos for Ollières