Vieux-Flassans, château des Pontevès

Ville : FLASSANS S/ISSOLE

Construction of the castle began in 940 with the building of a watchtower.

Perched 323m high, it gave warning of the year 1000 invasions.
The castle was extended over a number of periods, becoming the residence of the Pontevès family in 1399. There is a half-buried cistern, the remnants of a dungeon of some 12 metres, and an old oven.
The upper platforms look down on agricultural terraces known as restanques, the castle’s former gardens, where vines and vegetables were grown. The circular south tower was used as a dovecote.
The 13th-century ruined dwellings of Vieux Flassans wind down the hill below the castle.

Access Access is from the eastern entrance to the village, then the Chemin de la Chapelle in the Haute Ville quarter. There is parking near the site, but vehicles are not permitted in the old village.It can also be reached by the old cobbled Chemin de Croix path from the Pigeonnier hamlet, which is steep but idyllically rustic.