A small village clinging to the cliff, this village with the charm of a small fishing port is Martinique's youngest and smallest commune in terms of surface area (1189 ha). The village of Bellefontaine stretches for barely 150m, in a small valley.
Detached from Case-Pilote, whose history it shared until 1950, it takes its name from the nickname given to a 17th-century landowner who worked to make the area prosperous.
The commune still retains the charm of a fishing village, with its multicolored gum trees. A traditional form of fishing takes place on the beach: seining. This is done with a huge net (the seine) thrown into the sea, before being pulled from the beach by fishermen and also by any volunteers who wish to lend a hand...
However, the first place goes to agriculture and market gardening. On the cool, verdant heights of the Verrier district, fertile farms supply the markets with carrots, tomatoes and onions.
It's also in Bellefontaine, just before the entrance to the village, that the imposing, modern EDF power plant is located.
Not to be missed in the village is the Maison bateau Torgiléo, a spectacular house dating from 1950, built on the model of the old cruise liners.