After spending Friday morning in Cassis wandering through the market and shops along the marina followed by lunch at Le Bonaparte Restaurant, we drove to Le Castellet, a small feudal village perched on the edge of a 820 foot cliff. The village is surrounded by Bandol AOC vineyards.
You enter
Le Castellet through one of the fortified gates of the defensive walls into a maze of narrow cobblestone streets and pretty squares. The Church of the Transfiguration du Sauveur seen below was built in 1030 by the Bishops of Marseille. In 1754, the church had become too narrow and was enlarged.
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| Church of the Transfiguration du Sauveur |
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| Le Castellet window |
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| Le Castellet boutique specializing in lavender products |
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| Le Castellet artist |
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| Le Castellet shop |
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| Friends Steve and Mary take a break in Le Castellet |
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| Le Castellet building |
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| Abandoned well and pond |
Beautiful old buildings with brightly colored flowers cascading down their walls line the streets.
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| Le Castellet Street |
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| Le Castellet shop |
We quickly discovered that most of Le Castellet is on a slope that climbs up to the church and 15th century castle, where the town hall is now located.
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| Street up to Church of the Transfiguration du Sauveur |
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| Flowering bush in Le Castellet |
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| Le Castellet Bistro |
Le Castellet streets are for pedestrians only. There are two parking lots near the village where you can park cars.
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| Le Castellet street |
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| Shirley taking break in a Le Castellet square |
The Grand Portail gate is on the south end of Le Castellet and was rebuilt in the 14th century. For many years, it was the only access to the village.
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| Le Grand Portail gate through Le Castellet defensive wall |
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| Le Castellet shops |
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| Memorial to the dead |
There are plenty of shops in town including several art galleries and artisan workshops selling local pottery, ceramics, candles, and jewelry.
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| Le Castellet shops |
The Portalet gate is on the eastern side of Le Castellet and was restored and enlarged during the 17th century.
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| Le Portalet gate through Le Castellet defensive wall |
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| Cafe outside the Le Castellet defensive wall |
Le Castellet is worth a visit if you are in the area to enjoy the sea or to taste Bandol wines. I would guess that the proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, it's only 12 kms away, means many of the shops and cafes stay open all year long. We'll be back.
Have a great week. Chat soon.
I love knowing that whenever I'm missing Provence after my move back to the States, I'll have your blog to give me beautiful snapshots of my old home :)
ReplyDeleteThat's sweet and I will keep that in mind as I do my posts that Sara needs a shot of Provence to ease the pain of the move back to MA. Have a great day.
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