The Gala dinner (Meeting point: Congress Venue Building. Bus departure time at 7:15 pm)

The Gala dinner will take place in the Magnanery Saint Isidore, in Hyères, at 25 minutes from Toulon. In a family vineyard, the beautiful Provencal bastide nestled in its wooded park is a former silk farm, from the 18th century. The Magnanery Saint-Isidore welcomes you in the style of old family houses combining authenticity, modernity and charm. Located in the heart of the green Sauvebonne Valley, the area of the Magnanery Saint-Isidore unfolds its exceptional volumes and dominates the billowing green of vines.

The reception will start by a cocktail in the shady garden, sheltered from the wind, then will be followed by a dinner in the interior space whose decor evokes a warm family house, steeped in history of Provence. You will have the opportunity to taste the famous French cuisine, cooked from quality local products, and accompanied with the wine produced by the Magnanery Saint Isidore.

History and presentation of the Magnanery Saint-Isidore

The Magnanery Saint Isidore is one of the last magnaneries (silk farms) with an industrial size to be built in Provence. There were 3 magnaneries of this size in the Var department. Like many of these buildings, it is based on a wine cellar of the same size, which is no longer used today. From the early 20th century, silk production was discontinued in Provence due to the silkworms disease, the success of the synthetic silk and the competitiveness of Asian countries.

In the 50s, the property that belonged to a family of shipowners from Marseille was acquired by our grandfather, François Ravel, to exploit the vineyard. The large building of the Magnanery has been restored in 1999 to give it its current destination: a reception area. The Magnanery is like a family home run by the two owner’s granddaughters.

The Magnanery is part of a set of properties that constitute François Ravel’s vineyards: 360 hectares of vineyards, and up to 2 million of wine bottles sold per year in France and abroad. The François Ravel’s vineyards are part of the last independent wine producers in the territory of Côtes de Provence, it is still in the hands of the descendants of François Ravel.