NB : Tours offered by the local coach companies CAP and TYLENE. Seats have to be booked in the Tourist Office. Information:+33 (0)4 42 16 11 61.

Land and art de vivre

Rognes

Tour of Beaulieu House.

An old farmhouse which became a country house in the second half of the 17th century, guarded by 19th century towers. Built on basalt foundations, it was able to withstand the earthquake of 1909. At the end of the 18th century the house was surrounded by immense gardens which were to be one of the most remarkable sites of the Aix Region.

Its ancient vineyards are now being farmed, and their abundance and quality make them the exclusive resource of this estate.

Lambesc

Built as a principality in the 17th century, and seat of the Assembly of Communities of Provence in the 17th and 18th centuries, the town has preserved its fine architecture which is very similar to that of Aix, with in particular a rich collection of private mansions (Hôtel Pagy de Valbonne and Hôtel Cadenet Charleval).

The 18th century church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption is a vast building in the classical style, topped by a splendid dome that lights the nave. It contains a genuine museum of Provençal painting. Picturesque old washhouse and fountains, the Jacquemard clock.

Cadenet

Discovery of the historic site: the Mediaeval castle and the troglodyte homes built into the bar of yellow rock overlooking the village. Panoramic view over the Durance, the Luberon, Sainte-Victoire and the Alpilles hills.

Basketry Museum

Techniques and manufacture of contemporary basketry in Provence and Languedoc: addresses of manufacturers and retailers, types of production and regular exhibition tours organised on the theme of basketry.

Land of history and energy down the centuries

Les Milles

Tour of Les Milles Memorial

The only camp in France used both for internment, transit and then deportation. Inside the former refectory of the camp guards are murals painted by interned artists. Outside, a period train carriage recalls that thousands of Jews were deported from here to Auschwitz via Drancy. Bauxite mining. Development and role of the railway.

Gardanne

Tour of the ECOMUSEUM

A woodland area of some 13 acres and a museum presenting the character of the Mediterranean forest. The aim is to communicate concepts and knowledge about the environment, to show the value and wealth of the forest, and above all to promote awareness of this woodland heritage, which is as rich as it is vulnerable, among the broadest public possible. In the museum with its ten rooms, offering 800sq.m of exhibition space, you will make many discoveries.

Gréasque

Visit to the Hely d'Oissel Mine Shaft

The 25.5m head frame of the Hély d'Oissel mine shaft was listed as an industrial historical monument in October 1990.

Things to see: coal mining equipment, hoist room, old and contemporary safety systems, geographic and geological maps, everyday objects placed on the ground as if the miner had just left them at the bottom for a few moments before resuming his endless task. The Hély d'Oissel shaft, 450m deep, was in operation from 1922 to 1962.

Hilltop villages and their people

Cabriès

9th century Mediaeval village built on a rocky outcrop.

Tour of EDGAR MELIK MUSEUM installed in the old castle which was destroyed at the end of the 12th century, rebuilt in the 18th century and split up during the Revolution. It houses the collection of the painter Edgar Mélik, who died in 1976 and whose mural paintings are unique in the region.

Temporary exhibitions and items locally found by archaeologists.

Ventabren

Roquefavour Aqueduct

A segment of the Durance canal, built by the engineer Frantz de Montricher between 1842 and 1847 to bring water from the Durance to Marseille. The world's largest stone aqueduct, 84 m high and 375 m long.

Ventabren Museum: Tells the history of the village from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages, ruins found at Roquefavour Oppidum.
Built in 1650 in the Romanesque style, the church of Ventabren is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and to St- Denis in memory of a remarkable relic donated by Queen Jeanne: the lower jaw of St-Denis the Areopagite. The church of St-Denis deserves a visit and testifies to the important place of religion in the life of villages such as Ventabren.

Velaux

Tour of Olive Oil Cooperative.

Traditional oil mill using millstones and hydraulic pressing equipment to produce unfiltered extra-virgin olive oil. The virgin oil is obtained from olives exclusively by mechanical processes, or by physical processes under thermal conditions that do not affect the oil, without any treatment other than washing, decantation, centrifugation and filtration. Complete tour of the mill installations and oil tasting.