Sandra MehlSinger-songwriter, performer and painter, Piers Faccini He has resided in the South Cévennes for over twenty years. Born in 1970 in London to Anglo-Italian parents, he began on the London music scene in 1997 by co-founding the band Charley Marlowe, before embarking on a solo career in 2001. His first solo album, Leave No Trace, was released in 2004.
Since then, he has released eight more albums, including Tearing Sky in 2006 and Two Grains Of Sand in 2009, the latter being voted Album of the Year by France Inter.
Piers Faccini is known for his music that fuses elements of folk and West African music, collaborating with numerous artists such as Ben Harper, Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal.
He also composes music for television, notably for the documentary series Guardians of the Forest on Arte.
His artistic work extends beyond music, incorporating diverse cultural and geographical influences into his creations. He designs and creates the artwork for his album covers and numerous music videos himself, favoring the technique of paper cutting.
His 9th album, titled Our Calling with Ballaké Sissoko, was released on February 14, 2025.
Find Piers in the South Cévennes destination magazine, Wild Encounter issue no. 5
Why did you choose to settle in the South Cévennes?
I moved from central London to the Cévennes… I was living in the heart of one of the world's largest cities, and at the age of 33, I felt the urge to live in the countryside. Shortly before my move, I discovered the southern Cévennes, and it was love at first sight. So, my wife and I left London and headed there in our Volkswagen camper van. We drove down from the Cévennes foothills towards the south, very slowly, really taking our time. We truly fell in love with this region.
How does the South Cévennes influence your music and your art in general?
I believe a song can come to me at any moment and can be inspired by many things, by a variety of environments. But above all, I wanted to ground my writing and my approach in a connection to life, to nature.
I desired this connection, both on a human and spiritual level, but also for the influence it would have on my writing. From this perspective, much of what I write resonates with the poetry of the Living. This means being in harmony with the essence of things, attentive to our surroundings, living in the heart of nature, in the Cévennes mountains.
What attracted you to this region?
The area reminds me a lot of my childhood in Italy, when we spent summers in Tuscany. Parts of this region are very similar to the Cévennes. Which makes sense, given the geological similarities and the altitude. What I particularly love about the Southern Cévennes is this unique blend of landscapes, geology, and wildlife. Especially where the limestone plains of the garrigue meet the schist and granite mountains. This is evident all along the gateway to the Cévennes, from Le Vigan to Ganges, from Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort to Anduze.
In these areas, as soon as you gain a little altitude, you discover schist on one side and limestone on the other, as in Saint-Martial, Saint-Roman-de-Codières, behind Durfort or Monoblet.
Olive trees and holm oaks, typical of the Mediterranean climate, coexist with mountain vegetation. I particularly appreciate this contrast between two worlds.
Above all, it was the wild side of the Cévennes that was important to me. That is to say, an environment where nature dominates and where humans don't have a dominant impact. Where we live, this is even more noticeable, because we don't live in a hamlet or a village, but truly in the heart of nature.
And even as you climb towards the mountains, that southern light remains. Having lived a large part of my life in London, therefore in the North, the contrast with the southern light is striking!
What places would you recommend to someone who doesn't know the South Cévennes?
I prefer not to talk about a very specific place because I find that the Cévennes are in themselves like an initiation. You have to discover the most beautiful spots for yourself, with the friends you meet there.
The Cévennes are an invitation to the senses for the first-time visitor; they invite one to be receptive to something quite extraordinary. One simply has to make the effort to go and discover, to encounter; one must earn it. This is not a place to be consumed.
What is your favorite place in the Cévennes?
My favorite place is simply where I live! I'm lucky enough to live in the Recodier Valley and I'm particularly enchanted by this setting.
To mark the launch of the destination magazine Wild Encounter No. 5Piers has put together two playlists for us inspired by our portfolio "Under the gaze of…"
