Le Castellet
Beyond the French Riviera® Var (83330) Population: 3080 Altitude: 300 m Nearby: [ Bandol 9 km | La Cadière-d'Azur 3 | Marseille 47 | Toulon 23 ] Photos: 1 The village, across bare vineyards. (37 k) 2 A village square a terrace café in February. (40 k) 3 The village "lavoir", where clothes are still washed (by some). (36 k) Below: [ History | Dates | Wine | Transportation | Hiking ] Le Castellet is a lovely little village perched above the plains of the Var. Arriving on the little road from La Cadiére-d'Azur you get a good view of Le Castellet, as the road across the countryside and vineyards pretty much circles the village before finally climbing up to the center. The "center" of Le Castellet is at (or close to) the top of the village, contrary to many Provencal villages where the center is on the slope and the top has only a lonely old church or castle. The village retains its fortified look, with sections of the ancient ramparts still there, along with a couple of the old fortified "portes". The streets are cobblestone and the houses are old and interesting. The chateau was last rebuilt in the 15th century, and has an imposing defensive feel about it. Le Castellet is also a surprisingly active village. On a sunny sunday in the winter (February), the shops were open and there was a lively business at the terrace restaurants in the Place de la Fontaine [photo-2] and at the edge of the village overlooking the Mediterranean coast. By sunday afternoon the place was packed, and there's plenty of parking discretely located down beside the village; it's obviously a very popular weekend retreat in the region. You should plan on timing your visit to Le Castellet to include lunch, and then take the time for an after-lunch stroll on the little roads through the surrounding farmland. Name
History
Wine
Transportation
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