Lançon de Provence

Population : 6,786

Department : Bouches du Rhône

Lançon de Provence lies at the centre of Bouches du Rhône and all car drivers who take the A7 to get to Provence will be familiar with it... But Lançon is more than just a toll point announcing your arrival in Provence, it is also a pretty typically Provençal village, with its small squares and lovely stone houses.

Lançon is situated on a hill dominated by the remains of the château of the Lords of Baux (17th century). These remains are surrounded by a wall with square towers at intervals all along it. There is also a machicolated gatehouse.

Once in the village, you will find pretty little narrow lanes and on either side the old doors of 17th and 18th-century town houses. You can’t miss the charming square in front of the town hall and the panoramic view over the valley from behind it. In the centre of the village you will find the Place André Wolff with its cool fountain and the Maison des Templiers (House of the Knights Templar) and the Hôtel des Foresta, a blend of Baroque and Renaissance styles which is classified as a historic monument.

Following the main road which climbs upward through the village, you will come to the lovely little Place de l'Eglise. At the centre of this little square is a statue of Emmanuel Signoret. Next to the church gate is a beautiful house with a stone façade and flower-bedecked windows, giving this part of the village its own particular charm.