'The Var side: a quiet corner of the French Riviera'

Saint-Tropez may be known for glitter, but just a few miles from the coast, the very ground beneath my feet sparkles like a jet setter's hotel. I'm in the Var department in southeastern France, where the Mora mountain range meets the Mediterranean Sea, and the main rock here is mica slate, the flakes of which sparkle in the Provence sun (and also make great wine).

This sparkle is the only thing that unites this quiet region with the more famous stretches of the Côte d'Azur. A glance at a map shows why: for most of the Riviera, the railroad runs along the coast, but at Saint-Raphael it turns inland, rejoining the coast at Toulon, 60 miles away. (Some say that the farmers''refused to sell their land in the 1860s). The lack of railroad service led to fewer tourists, less development and the current state of this green, mountainous area dotted with small towns and quiet, even wild beaches.

Beaches

Peach du Monaco, near Le Pradet

The western end of this 'secret' coastline is the town of Le Prade, with many beaches between rocky headlands. The clear waters of the pebbly beach de Aursinière are popular with kayakers and snorkelers, while the beach du Monaco, which is accessed by steps from the road, is long, sandy and not too crowded, even in August.

To the south of it lies another mineral wonder, Cape''Garonne with a mountain museum (€7 / €4.50) and a lovely walk along a mile-long trail with views of the islands of Hier and Toulon harbor, as well as wild orchids and carnations and, in the fall, yellow and turquoise bee-eaters.

The peninsula of Gien, further east, has beaches on all sides, so locals choose depending on the weather. The three-mile-long Almanarre to the west has white sand and shallow water, but on windy days of high winds, it's best left to surfers and kitesurfers. The eastern beach is long, sandy and sheltered. La Capt is a former fishing village halfway down, where you'll find attractive restaurants (like Le Bouchon), an organic cafe and rumerie, and a bar specializing in rum.

The nice thing is that tourism is still not a major industry here.''This is especially true of La Londe-les-Mores, where wine and olive oil reign supreme in an unobtrusive town surrounded by sandy beaches, although in summer there are also craft, wine and hot food markets three times a week.

The largest beach is L'\''Argentiere, now all pine trees and golden sand, but it used to be home to a huge zinc mine, with factories for its production standing on the shore. After the mines were depleted, Schneider built a torpedo factory here, which remained until 1993. It wasn't until 2006 that these beaches were restored to their natural beauty.

An interesting addition is a snorkeling trail marked by buoys, with underwater information boards about marine life. It's free,''guided tours in French are also available.

There's something interesting going on at the eastern end of Argentiere, because here begins a 5.5-mile coastal route that connects several gorgeous beaches, the first of which is the sandy Plage du Pellegrin. The land behind it is owned by the Chateau Leube winery (see below), which runs a chic restaurant with sand in the trees and charges 11 euros a day for parking. Or you can walk there from L'\''Argentiere.

Fort de Bregancon, the French version of Chequers.

At the other end of the trail is the French version of Chequers - Fort de Bregancon, a 13-century-old building on a rocky island accessed by an approach trail, has been the French presidential residence since 1968. François Hollande''opened it to the nation in 2015, and it can be visited (guided tour €10 per person) any time Emmanuel Macron is not staying here.

Moving east, the winding D559 road passes more beaches, en route to the Domaine du Rayol, a botanical garden with plants from climates similar to the Mediterranean: California, South Africa, Australia and Chile.

The insides

Today, few foreigners know of Jere, with its palm trees and 11th-century castle, but since the late 18th century, its streets have been home to British voices every winter. It was a place where wealthy Victorians''de Porche is a series of atmospheric arches built on one of the three concentric walls of the city, with arrow slits. The buildings are in harmonious peach, pale blue, yellow and pistachio tones, and the streets are overflowing with colorful plumbago, bougainvillea and other flowering plants.

In a deep valley of sweet chestnut forests 20 miles to the east is the main town of Marron, Collobriere. Here is the capital of Provence's marrons - available as glace and ice cream, turned into liqueur and more. The pretty houses by the river hide a labor history: the Real Collobriere River, with its 12-century-old donkey bridge, once fed sawmills and cork factories. The buildings on the left bank were built for workers.

Marrones glace in'. 'Collobriere

The Hôtel de Mor (double room from 67 euros with breakfast) is a great base for quiet walks, such as to the ruined church of St. Pons: the tourist office has maps for hikes of up to 18 miles. The terrace of the hotel's restaurant blocks the river, and the new annexe in the mill owner's former home has huge bedrooms and a swimming pool.

The Festival de la Natura in May offers free telescopes for stargazing from St. Pons Hill and free guided tours. At the Fête de Fontaine (tomorrow, August 13), the fountain on City Hall Square is flowing pink wine, and traditional aioli dinners cost 20 euros. And that's before the grand chestnut festival on three weekends in October.

Raukbrune-sur-Argent also retains the atmosphere of the ancient''Photo credit: Colin Bolter

Provence is known as the capital of rosé wine, but several wineries now offer more than just the usual tours and tastings. Domaine de la Naviselle, near Le Prade, produces an excellent aged biodynamic rosé wine. Visitors can take a basket of bread, pate, sausage, tapenade and fruit - and, of course, wine - and pic