The best MTB trails around Saint-Pantaléon-Les-Vignes

Still too cold in April, but a dream spot for a dip from May onwards.

In Nyons on the side of the parking lot on the right when you drive over the bridge. Lavender distillery sometimes in operation, shop and tea house and a little further you will find a shop with all kinds of olive oils.

The permanent model exhibition, housed in a specially adapted museum space, offers visitors around twenty models created by Jean-Claude Vangierdegom, a model maker with a passion for architecture, representing the main heritage buildings of the Enclave des Papes and the Pays de Grignan. The Château's Micro-Folie, a veritable digital museum with fifteen tablets, complements the free cultural offerings. Finally, the free year-round visit also includes a visit to the grandiose Salon d'Honneur, the Salle Scharf, and a climb to the belvedere, which offers a beautiful panorama of the town of Valréas and the surrounding landscapes. Furthermore, the Château de Simiane hosts a regular and varied program designed as an invitation to discovery, in an extraordinary setting for everyone: young and old, lovers of painting, photography, music, and more. The Château de Simiane has become a cultural hub, at the heart of Valréas life, with a Micro-Folie. For example, the castle serves as the backdrop for the Night of Little Saint John around June 23 and during the summer for many other festivities (July 14, Pink and White, concerts, etc.)

The Hôtel de Simiane stands on the remains of an ancient residence believed to have been built by the Montauban family in the 13th century. Hugues Aymeric commissioned the construction of the two buildings still visible along Rue de l'Hôtel de Ville in the 14th century. The bulk of the current building was constructed in 1639-1640 by the Cavaillon entrepreneur Bernard Moureau based on plans by the Avignon architect François Royer de la Valfenière for Louis de Simiane (this Avignon architect is responsible for numerous buildings in the Comtat, including the bishopric of Carpentras). It was not until around 1780 that the symmetry of the composition was completed with the replacement of an old building with the south wing, based on plans by the Avignon architect Franque, who also designed the bishopric of Viviers. The château was owned by Louis de Simiane and his wife Pauline de Simiane, the granddaughter of the Marquise de Sévigné. It was thanks to the young woman that her grandmother's correspondence was published and made famous throughout the world. There is thus a direct link between the two châteaux, only a few kilometers apart: Grignan, where the Marquise stayed, and Valréas, where her granddaughter resided. In 1823, the Château de Simiane housed the college and the Justice of the Peace. It was only in 1843, by order of King Louis Philippe, that the town of Valréas was authorized to purchase the Hôtel de Simiane, which then became the Valréas Town Hall and Post Office. In 1913, the Château de Simiane was listed as a historic monument.

Impressive restoration of the chateau after it's fairly comprehensive destruction on orders of the Revolution.

On a secondary road with practically no motorized traffic in a fantastic landscape. Venterol with its characteristic village square and bistro is worth a detour.

A visit to the château is highly recommended; beautiful castle in a beautiful location with a view of Mont Ventoux.

The raised castle complex in the middle of the small town can be seen from afar. The once medieval castle was transformed over time into a Renaissance palace.