Le Castellet village

Le Castellet rises majestically on its rocky spur, overlooking the Bandol vineyards and the Mediterranean. As soon as you pass through its medieval gates, time fades away: you enter a preserved, timeless Provence.

Listed among the Most Beautiful Villages of France, Le Castellet embodies Mediterranean authenticity in its purest form. Cobbled lanes winding between ochre stone houses with coloured shutters, little squares shaded by century-old plane trees echoing with cicadas, ramparts with panoramic views over the whole Var coast. No concessions to flashy commerce: just a village frozen in the 1950s, as photographers and film-makers loved it, a haven for all lovers of genuine heritage.

Four hundred souls keep the Provençal art of living alive here. Winemakers upholding the noble tradition of Bandol, craftsmen working clay, glass and fabric in their open workshops, passionate shopkeepers sharing their knowledge of the land. Some fifteen galleries and workshops showcase local skills: potters, glassmakers, jewellery designers, a santon maker, a weaver, each a master of their craft.

Provençal cuisine flourishes on panoramic terraces facing the vines, in vaulted period dining rooms or in inner courtyards fragrant with jasmine and bougainvillea. The Romanesque church of Sainte-Marie, guardian of the centuries with its exceptional Baroque altarpiece, watches over this preserved harmony, while the castle of the Lords of Les Baux looks down from the hill on this timeless Provençal scene.