Rians, Var

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Rians is a village and commune in the Var département of southeastern France.

Rians is a completely unspoilt provencal village in the Upper Var. Other villages in Provence have become become totally dominated by tourism and so lost authenticity, Rians remains a true provencal town. The main employment is agriculture predominantly wine, with several excellent local producers. The village itself is built on a hill that is dominated by an 12th Century bell tower and the church of Notre Dame de Nazareth. The Town is made up of concentric medieval streets that work their way down the hill. It is a maze of alleys, passages and beautiful squares. One particularly beautiful square is the Place Saint Laurent on which is the Summer Palace of the Bishops of Aix en Provence. Aix becomes unbearably hot in the summer and the Bishop would retire to Rians for the cooler,cleaner air. The central square boasts the classic combination of cafe with terrace under plane trees, boulangerie /patisserie, boucherie, and a wonderful poissonerie. Of course there are fountains sprinkled throughout the town.