Sentier des capitelles bernissoises, Historic stone huts trail in Bernis, France.

The Sentier des Capitelles Bernissoises is a hiking trail through the Mediterranean landscape of Bernis featuring numerous traditional limestone shelters built without mortar. The path winds through olive groves and abandoned vineyards, connecting various preserved structures throughout the area.

The dry-stone shelters and clapas walls were built when agricultural workers, called rachalans, cultivated vines and olives on the garrigue. In 1987 the Amis de Bernis began an inventory of the garrigue constructions, using the Napoleonic cadastre and fieldwork, and found more than 80 edifices. Restoration of the Grand Bois capitelle ran from 1989 to 1991, when the first Gard dry-stone meetings were held in Bernis.

The shelters along the path show how farm workers once sought protection from sun and rain while tending their land. These stone structures belong to the daily life and hard work of the region's agricultural past.

The trail is well marked with information boards at several points explaining details about each structure. It is wise to wear sturdy shoes and bring water, as the path remains mostly exposed to the sun throughout the walk.

The trail's name comes from the Occitan word capitelle, for the dry-stone huts. The Picholine hut is named after the olive variety, not a person. The association Les Amis de Bernis began inventorying these structures in 1987, using the Napoleonic cadastre and fieldwork, and found more than 80 buildings.