The perched village of Gilette is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes located at the entrance and confluence of the Estéron and Var Valleys. In the past, the castle made the village a stronghold in local history.
The communal bread oven and the fountain of Gilette are part of the rural heritage of the commune. They also serve as historic testimonies to the traditions of our elders in the past century.
The fountain marks the arrival of drinking water to the village at the beginning of the 20th century. As for the communal bread oven, it was used by the village inhabitants to bake regional specialties. Today, the oven still exists but is no longer functional.
The advanced state of deterioration of these two heritage elements compromises their conservation. To address this, restoration work has been planned. The use of noble materials such as terracotta will be employed for the oven, and special care will be applied to cleaning the fountain, particularly for the bronze lion and the hand-sculpted green marble plaque.
Ultimately, the oven and fountain will have an educational role and will be part of the various discovery tours of the commune. During festivals and the summer season, the oven will be put into service. The reopening of the citadel to the public is also underway.
The project in the commune is part of an ecotourism initiative revolving around two main areas: the discovery of the landscape and its natural environment, and the highlighting of the local heritage.
