La Prison
La Garde-Freinet Historic site and monument
The jail was in use from 1827 until the beginning of the 20th Century.
All year round, daily.
There is a small dark room hidden behind the barred windows, vaulted and measuring 2.50m x 2.70m. The prisoners entered by a small door only 1.50m heigh situated under the staircase. Their only furnishings were two straw-filled mattresses and two blankets. The walls are covered with colorful drawings: signatures, horseshoes, several sailing boats, portraits, crosses and some poems like this one "Oh my Isaline, so many bitter tears you would cry if you knew your lover was closed up in this sad place".
The cell was mostly used to sober up revelers like a certain Camerio Giacomo, an Italian, who wrote that he was put into prison on October 18th, 1870 for "avere berito tropo vino" (having drunk too much wine).