Why Visit
It was many bays and about 80% of it is protected park. It is also famous for its sea food so there are several restaurants that you can visit while you are here.
History
Porquerolles seems to have been settled by all the people living in the area in ancient times (Celto-Ligurians, Phoenicians and Greeks). It was colonized by Greeks and during the Roman era had a Roman population. Saint Honorat, who founded the monastery of Lérins would come to pray here. Later a monastery was built on the island that depended on the monastery of Thoronet.
From the 10th to the 16th century the people had to endure raids from Saracen and Barbary pirates. Charles II, Count of Provence and King of Sicily ceded the island to Peter Mégré of Toulon in 1304. After the Fall of Malta the Knights of the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem and Rhodes sought a basis for withdrawal. In 1522 they asked King Francis I of France to grant them permission to settle the islands.
In 1707, during the War of Spanish Succession, the army of Duke Victor Amadeus II of Savoy seized the islands after a hard fight. Later on, in 1737 it became the property of the Lenoncourt family of Lorraine. During the time of the French Revolution the islands were again occupied by the English in 1793 along with Toulon. They left them devastated and later on, Napoleon fortified them to fight against the British in the Mediterranean. The defensive works from that period survive until this day. In 1856 the Duke of Vicenza, marquis de Caulaincourt, son of the famous diplomat bought the island for 80,000 francs. Porquerolles successively became the property of Mr. Roussen in 1881 and a land company in 1905. The company constructed a power plant and water retention basins on the island. In 1912 Porquerolles was sold for 1,000,100 francs François Joseph Fournier. Fournier, son of a poor Belgian boatman had finally made a fortune in gold. In 1971, the French state bought most of Porquerolles, protecting it against urbanisation by granting it national park status and designating it a conservation area during the Eighties. As a result, the island’s landscape resembles the French Riviera of centuries ago: oak forests, olive, fig, juniper and strawberry trees thrive, as do lavender, rosemary, rock rose, myrtle and other Mediterranean flora. Electric green dragonflies add flashes of colour around the island’s creeks and coves. Butterflies find rich sippings in the bountiful supply of nectar. I spot a butter-coloured brimstone floating over lavender bushes at the beach’s edge.
Museums - Archeological
There are several important landmarks and museums that one can see while visiting Porquerolles. The Fort Sainte-Agathe was built in the sixteenth century. In 1793 the English captured it in a very unusual way. The commander, ignoring the events on the continent, invited the English admiral for dinner. While the English fleet lay anchored the sailors surprised the garrison and captured the fort. The Moulin (mill) is also an interesting landmark, having been built in the eighteenth century. It was restored in 2007 and is open for visitors. The lighthouse, Phare du cap d’Arme is located in the southernmost tip and has a view of all of the island’s hills.
Beaches
The beaches on the north coast of Porquerolles are better protected and reachable on foot by following easy trails. It consists of sandy beaches and pine trees, myrtle and heather. No less fascinating are the beaches on the south coast, which are more isolated, wild, and exposed to the wind and are therefore less populated by tourists. It requires a little more effort to get to them but it is absolutely worthwhile. There are the Plage de la Courtade, the largest and most famous of the beaches, the Norte-Dame Beach and the Galere Beach.
Religious Monasteries and Churches
Undoubtedly the most famous church of Porquerolles is the Church of St. Anne (église Sainte-Anne de Porquerolles). It is of typical French catholic architecture. It was built in 1850 through the efforts of the military administration of the islands. It depends on the diocese of Fréjus-Toulon.
