Things to see and do Vaucluse

Located on a small square in the town center, in an ^18th-century town house, this body oversees the preservation of the environment and manages the development and enhancement of the Luberon. Its mission is also to inform and educate the general public. On-site, permanent exhibitions on the fauna, flora and habitat, and occasional events, will help you discover this protected and privileged area of the Luberon Regional Nature Park.

The château looks more like a bourgeois residence than a real castle. In fact, it dates from the first half of the 19th century. Its predecessor, that of the Vassadel family, was destroyed during the French Revolution. A few 16th-century features remain, such as a tower pierced by fire hydrants and a room vaulted with a pointed arch. The lords of Vacqueras were already identified as the Vassadel family in 1338. More than 300 years of presence, even if in recent years it was the viguier who administered the small community. Unfortunately, this castle cannot be visited.

The museum is settled in the chapel of Pénitents-Blancs of the 17th century and it can be interesting to visit it in family because it contains an incredible number of old tools, pots, archaeological relics (fossils, cut flint and coins). It's a bit of a tote in the cabinet of curiosities way but it is also where its charm lays. And do not forget to look up to admire the frescoes in the chapel.

Departing from Place Montfort, which has been Place du Marché since 1817, this little train will take you through 2,000 years of history in around three-quarters of an hour. First, we head for the 14-hectare Gallo-Roman city, through the sites of Puymin and La Villasse, where gigantic villas alternate with temples, sanctuaries and an ancient theater... Then, holding your breath, you'll cross the elegant Roman bridge over the Ouvèze to reach the upper town, dominated by its belfry. This part of the town flourished in medieval times. Wander around the castle, the ^12th-century cloister adjoining the cathedral and the Saint-Quentin chapel. Finally, we return to reality in the lively streets of the Provencal village.

Since 1995, we've been going way back in time, to the hamlet of Les Bruns. Once again, Roman presence is attested as early as the first century of our era. First a small rural building, followed in the 2nd century by a Gallo-Roman villa. A villa in the sense of a group of dwellings, since it comprises a farm on the one hand, and a dwelling and thermal baths on the other. 27 rooms on no less than 1,000m2. In the dwelling house, archaeologists even discovered the family archives in the master's study. The particularity of this villa is that it is 80 meters long, in contrast to the classical organization of buildings around an atrium. On the walls, blue was found in the bathtub, yellow in the frigidarium and red in the outdoor pool. For all these reasons, this is a highly valuable archaeological site.