Simone Berriau Residence, the sleeping beauty
Sailors in the area know it well. Visible from the bay of Hyères and the Golden Islands, it is what is known as an "amer": a characteristic and remarkable fixed point, marked on maps, which allows you to find your way from afar. In short, it is impossible to miss the Simone Berriau tower, which stands proudly near the village of Les Salins d'Hyères. But do you know the unique history of this emblematic place? The Simone Berriau residence, now listed as a 20th century architectural heritage site, is indeed a sleeping beauty with a unique aura, a witness to a prosperous period which marked a whole generation.
Many have forgotten, but during the yéyé era, in the 1960s, the Simone-Berriau Plage seaside resort had its moment of glory. A major holiday destination, it welcomed a number of well-known artists of the time who came to spend memorable holidays there. It was not uncommon to come across Jeanne Moreau, Maria Pacôme, Michel Serrault, Louis de Funès, Georges Guétary, Jean Richard, Michel Galabru and many others. It had all the facilities of a luxury maritime complex, and the cream of the Parisian scene flocked there to party. The complex was composed of three buildings, the famous tower, a restaurant, a hotel, a swimming pool (today transformed into a garden), a port on the banks of the Gapeau, a shopping mall, car parks... The architecture was original and modern, with notably the famous ceramic frescoes which made its reputation. 
Are you wondering how this crazy project came about? The story begins in the 1930s: Simone Berriau is a famous artist of the inter-war period. An actress and theatre producer, she is known for having created a large part of Sartre's work, and presented the works of Camus, Cocteau, Arthur Miller and others. During a road trip with her artist friend Colette, she discovered Mauvanne and its vineyards in the Saint-Nicolas district. She fell in love with the place, decided to settle there and bought the estate. She then welcomed many artists, including Charlie Chaplin, Louis Jouvet and Max Ophüls. They took advantage of the beach privatised by Berriau at the old salt marshes of Hyères, near the current location of the residence.
After the war, when the Mauvanne estate was occupied and looted by the Germans, Simone Berriau sought a lighter touch. She imagined a top-of-the-range holiday complex. As a good businesswoman, she foresaw the boom in seaside leisure activities. She suggested to her friends, artists and intellectuals, that they invest in a condominium on the site of her private beach, at Les Salins, on wasteland bought in part from the French Navy. This resort, inspired by Le Corbusier and Georges-Henri Pingusson's famous Latitude 43 in Saint-Tropez, was designed by Pierre Pascalet from Toulon (who built the Faron cable car). The Simone Berriau residence was built in 1962, under the watchful eye of the regional press, which made headlines. This was followed by the famous boom years, which marked the peak of the complex's success. However, as the years went by, this small artists' village became less and less frequented, until it gradually fell into anonymity. The shops and bathing facilities having disappeared, our sleeping beauty is now exclusively residential. And although it welcomes lesser-known holidaymakers, in a quieter and more discreet atmosphere, the Simone Berriau Tower continues to enjoy a certain notoriety and the characteristic aura of these places tinged with history.
