Forcalquier

Forlcaquier – a town with a Provencal village atmosphere

Forcalquier is a historic town on the Via Domitia Roman Way, between the Montagne de Lure and the Luberon and bears many traces of its eventful past. In the Middle ages, a branch of the family of the Counts of Provence even declared it a ‘Comtat’ which successfully remained independent for 150 years ! In addition to its remarkable architectural heritage, the town has always had a rebellious attitude and a distinctive character.
Stroll around the narrow streets and squares, admire the Gothic fountain and beautiful houses, visit the cathedral and chapels. The typical Provencal village atmosphere even extends to the cinema which is in the chapel of an old convent, ‘Le Couvent des Visitandines’ !
Another convent, ‘Le Couvent des Cordeliers’, houses ‘l’Université Européenne des Senteurs et des Saveurs’ (European University of  Fragrance and Flavour), a training centre with a cloister and magnificent gardens where sensory workshops take place to stimulate the senses and discover the uses and benefits of plants in, for example,  perfumery and aperitifs.

Enjoy a 360° panoramic view from the top of the Citadel hill over the rooftops to the Alps and the Durance Valley. The hill is crowned by the Neo-Byzantine style Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Provence, built in 1875, which has one of the rare hand-operated carillons in Provence - it is played with the fists. On Sunday mornings and public holidays you can enjoy its playing of traditional airs. The Cathedral of Notre Dame du Bourguet, dating from the early 13th century, has a Provencal crib on show every winter with over 100 santons (figures) and also has a remarkable organ. Other attractions in Forcalquier include its listed cemetery dating from 1835 with a splendid clipped yew arcade, unique in Europe and the natural attraction of ‘Les Rochers des Mourres’, an extraordinary landscape of limestone rocks with marlstone bases which erosion has shaped into giant white mushrooms on the hillside.