Follow this family trail and discover the places that inspired Alphonse Daudet. It is a loop in the middle of nature, from the Tourist Information Office to the Château de Montauban, walking at the foot of the four windmills.
The path with the four mills of Fontvieille:
The Sourdon mill, more commonly known as "the fallen mill", because it was the first to lose its capital and its wings, is the oldest of the four. Built in 1791, it was in operation in the 18th and 19th centuries. Standing apart from the others, alone on a hill to the west of the pine alley, the Sourdon mill was restored in 2015.
The Ribet, Saint-Pierre or Alphonse Daudet mill was built in 1814 and operated until 1915, when the wheat was requisitioned for the war. In 1935, it is this mill, which is the most recent and best preserved, that the Société des Amis d'Alphonse Daudet is restoring. It corresponds best to the description of the mill dreamed of by the author because it has the lower room and will be dedicated to the author.
The Ramet mill overlooks the village. It was built at the beginning of the 19th century, and ran until the 1900s. Nowadays, only its barrel stands on the hill.
The Tissot-Avon mill was Alphonse Daudet's favourite place of recollection because it is the closest to the Château de Montauban (where he stayed with his cousins, the Ambroy family). The mill ceased its activity in 1905 after nearly 100 years of operation, when its last owner, the miller Trophime Avon, died. It was fully restored in 2016.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Free access.
Free
All year round, daily.
The Mill Trail is accessible all year round. The Moulin de Daudet can only be visited in season (April to October).
