The spectacular natural beauty that spurred the development of France’s Mediterranean coastline can still be found today if you know where to look. The place to rediscover the Riviera as it used to be is along the coastline of the Var, the French department that runs roughly from Bandol just east of Marseille to Saint-Raphaël. The area’s most striking physical feature is its dramatic ocher mountains, which in many places come right down to the water’s edge. Aside from Saint-Tropez, the region has remained uncrowded and unspoiled and is surprisingly little known to foreign travelers.