Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Address available on request

Two 30-m² Gardian's cabins on a 500-m² lot next to the beach in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. Accessible from the coastal road along the seawall, after the moorings of Port Gardian, the two Gardian's cabins are part of a group of about thirty built in 1955 by the last master cabin-builders living on the isthmus, which separates the Etang des Launes wetland and its pink flamingos from the sea and seagulls. 
These cabins also contributed to the resurgence in interest in this area after the film 'White Mane', which once again popularised the forgotten Camargue of Fulco de Baroncelli and its traditions. The film depicts happy days cadenced by the gentle rhythm of nature, within unspoiled landscapes that combine coastlines, wetlands and the saltmarshes created by man under Napoleon Iii, who wanted to take advantage of the great Rhône delta's natural wealth, which had only been recently harnessed.
The gabled cabins - the original name of the Gardian's cabins - were once reserved for fishermen. They were then occupied by shepherds, salt workers and Camargue herdsmen, also known as 'gardians', who watch over herds of bulls and horses raised in semi-freedom. Genuine local 'cowboys', they are the ones who have given these cabins their current name.
Built to resist rough weather conditions according to specific architectural guidelines, the result of a certain amount of ingenuity accumulated since the 16th century, they are placed in the middle of bull pastures or along the banks of wetlands and submerged within the colourful fauna of migrating birds and the Camargue's famous pink flamingos. Visible in some of Van Gogh's paintings, these long rectangular buildings, from 30 to 120 m² based on their use, are whitewashed with quicklime, while their southern side has a characteristic diamond-shaped gable end and their northern side, topped with a hipped roof in order to reduce the power of the Mistral wind, forms an apse. With few or no windows, the cabin is topped with a gabled roof made out of common reeds, which is strongly inclined in order to facilitate the runoff of rainwater, rare, but violent. The roofs on these cabins originally date from 1955, but were identically restored in 2005, the lifespan of a reed-thatched roof being 50 years.