Riou

Sailing towards Riou Island, have you ever felt so close to untouched nature? Riou, the largest island in the archipelago south of Marseille, is a jewel in the Calanques National Park. Riou’s history stretches back to the Neolithic period. Imagine early humans walking to this then-peninsula, the sea level much lower than today. Pottery shards and tools whisper tales of their presence. Later, Ligurian, Etruscan, and Massalian sailors navigated these waters, leaving their mark in the sands and the “well of the goats”. Riou also served as a coastal watch post, mentioned as early as 1295. You can almost picture the sentinels in the old watchtower, scanning the horizon. By the 19th century, the island became a haven for fishermen and, rumoredly, smugglers. Meanwhile, Marseille grew, using Riou’s sand for its construction projects. During World War II, the island transformed into a German fortification. Then, in 1964, a discovery: a skeleton, initially suspected to be that of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The famous author’s plane wreckage was found nearby in 1998. However, the skeleton revealed a different story. It belonged to Alexis von Bentheim, a Luftwaffe pilot. Riou Island is a haven for biodiversity. Its steep, white limestone cliffs are home to protected seabirds like Cory’s shearwater, the Mediterranean shearwater, and the European storm petrel. The island is France’s only breeding site for the European shag cormorant outside Corsica. Riou also shelters the ocellated lizard, the common wall lizard, and over 320 plant species, with 18 under protection. The north coast, with its inviting coves like Anse de Monasterio, offers a taste of paradise for those arriving by boat. Divers explore over 40 dive sites, including the wreck of Le Chaouen and a nearby WWII German fighter plane. While you can’t land on the other islands in the archipelago, you can admire them from a boat trip departing from Marseille’s Old Port, Cassis, or La Ciotat. Riou Island remains a place of protected beauty and intriguing history. Its wild cliffs, diverse wildlife, and hidden stories echo across the ages, inviting you to discover its unique charm.