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Ansouis
In the Middle Ages, Ansouis occupied an ideal position to control the road between Aix-en-Provence and Apt. Today, this wonderfully preserved village is still dominated by its magnificent castle, a former possession of the Sabran family. Before reaching it, you cross the great square and walk the lanes with prettily restored houses: the oldest date from the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. The parish church of Saint-Martin is older still: inside, you can admire reliquary busts, wooden panels and a seventeenth-century altarpiece.
The castle, both a medieval stronghold and a seventeenth-century bastide, has kept a keep and fortress turrets, as well as ramparts with crenellations and machicolations. The large main building of the south façade was remodelled after the wars of religion, in the style of seventeenth-century Aix mansions. The visit lets you admire fine furniture, tapestries, coffered ceilings and a vaulted kitchen. The gardens are magnificent, decorated with clipped box and remarkably well kept. From the terrace, the view over Montagne Sainte-Victoire is superb.
