La Tour de l´Esquillon * * *

THE MASSIF DE L'ESTEREL

Stretching for 39 Kms. (24 miles) of coast from La Napoule to St-Raphaël, this mass of twisted red volcanic rock is a surreal landscape of dramatic panoramas. Forest fires have devastated all but a small section of cork oak, adding barrenness to an already otherworldly place. This was once the stamping ground of a colorful 19th-century highwayman, Gaspard de Besse, who hid in the region's many caves and terrorized local travelers until, at age 25, he was hanged and then decapitated by military authorities in the main square at Aix-en-Provence.

Following the path of the ancient Roman Aurelian Way, N7 traces the area's northern edge, running through the Estérel Gap between Fréjus and Cannes. To get to the massif's summit, Mont Vinaigre (elevation 589m/1,962 ft.), turn right at the Testannier crossroads 11 Kms. (7 miles) northeast of Fréjus. A parking area allows you to leave your car and make the final 15 minutes of the ascent on foot, climbing to the observation deck of a watchtower for a view stretching from the Alps to the Massif des Maures. At La Napoule, turn around to follow the southwesterly trail of N98 back to Fréjus.

This route offers the massif's most stunning vistas, first turning inland just beyond Le Trayas at Pointe de l'Observatoire, where you can ascend to the Grotte de la Ste-Baume for the views that inspired the medieval hermit St. Honorat, who once dwelt in the cave. Farther along N98, at Pointe de Baumette, is a memorial to the French writer/aviator Antoine de St-Exupéry. At Agay, turn inland again to reach the rocky Gorge du Mal-Infernet, a twisted rut in the earth, offering a contrast to the surrounding peaks with their overview of the region. Continuing along this inland route leads you to Pic du Cap-Roux, at 431m (1,438 ft.), and Pic de l'Ours, at 488m (1,627 ft.), both offering sweeping views of land and sea.