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FRANCE
ISLAND OF PORQUEROLLES

It was not that difficult for producer Hans Stachowiak to choose this place since he lived in the South of France for over 20 years and must have sailed around the island many times. Therefor, it was a logical choice to produce the first shows there, in the Mediterranean Sea, on the island "Ile de Porquerolles", at a private vineyard, the Domaine de la Courtade. It was the perfect venue to host the international television show "Legends Rock". The show has been created by Hans W. Stachowiak and is distributed worldwide.
The first three shows, featuring Sam Moore, Billy Preston and Tony Joe White have been produced at the Domaine de la Courtade, one of the three vinyards on the island. The production was made in the off-season period where the weather is already or still warm but there are not many tourists on the island. Everything is calme and peaceful...
The Domain de la Courtade, offered the ideal environment for the musicians and the artists with its 100 hectars of vineyards, beaches and forest. The beautiful, natural beauty of the site, the beaches and the small village inspired the whole team.

Nature preserved

In 1971, the state bought 4/5 of the island, thus protecting it from any unsightly housing or hotel developments. The style and architecture of the existing houses blend harmoniously with the natural beauty of the site. Linked to the Parc National de Port-Cros (although still lacking a formal statute), Porquerolles is a site where the land is protected, cultivated, replanted and studied, thanks to the Conservatoire Botanique and to the Parc national de Port Cros. Their plantations are difficult to miss.

The village

As soon as you arrive at the port, you will be captivated by the island: behind the boats tied up to the quay, the first houses can be seen, surrounded by lush vegetation. After leaving the port (where you can hire bikes and obtain directions from the tourist office) you will arrive in the village with its large square and beautiful church, a cluster of shops and several cafes and restaurants where you can eat outside.

Beautiful countryside

To discover the rest of the island you can choose between several delightful routes:

* In the north, three superb beaches offer fine sand and the coast here slopes gently down to sea which is exceptionally clear.
* In the south, vertical cliffs rise out of the sea, from this steep relief, you can see a series of calanques, rocky points, gorges, headlands and hills. You can admire this wild and majestic landscape from the lighthouse where there is a 360° view of the island and the sea... it's breathtaking!
* In the interior, there is a mosaic of vineyards, olive trees and fruit trees of all variety... lemons, oranges and mandarins. The paths are bordered by pines, eucalyptus and numerous plantations, courtesy of the Conservatoire Botanique. Most of the paths are shaded, sheltering visitors from the "coups de chaud". In spring the flowering scrub, with its myrtles and heather, transfoms the island into a huge fragrant bouquet of flowers. In autumn, the pine forest's offer different shades of green mix with the white flowers and red fruit of the strawberry trees.

In summer the crickets sing to their hearts content... reminding you that you are en Provence and not in a tropical island at the other end of the earth.