St-Raphaël sits between the red lava peaks of the Massif de l’Estérel
and the densely forested hills of the Massif des Maures. It became popular
during Roman times, when rich families came to vacation here, bequeathing the
rambling ruins at the neighboring town of Fréjus today. Barring a brief
barbaric interlude of 1,500 years, it’s still a place of rest and recreation.
That’s right, the Saracen invaders that
