Taxi Marseille → Lambesc

Lambesc, a town of 10,000 nestled between the Trévaresse range and the Durance plain, is one of the most charming towns in inland Provence, midway between Aix-en-Provence and Salon-de-Provence. This former royal town, which served as the administrative capital of Provence under the Ancien Régime thanks to the assemblies of Provençal communities held here, retains remarkable architectural heritage. The Cours Jaubert and Cours Victor Hugo, lined with centuries-old plane trees and 17th and 18th-century townhouses, form the main axis of this bourgeois town. The Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption church (17th century), with its octagonal bell tower and baroque altarpiece, overlooks the central square. The belfry (14th century), topped by a wrought-iron campanile, symbolises communal liberties. Lambesc is sadly famous for the earthquake of 11 June 1909, the most destructive in metropolitan France in the 20th century (magnitude 6.2), which killed 46 people and destroyed parts of the town and neighbouring villages such as Rognes and Vernègues. The Marcelin Mouren museum recounts this seismic event with period photographs and testimonies. Today, Lambesc is a popular stop on the Luberon route: Provence markets, AOC Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence wine estates and Trévaresse hiking trails attract visitors and second-home owners. The jacquemart (medieval automaton) of the belfry clock, which has struck the hours since the 14th century, is a listed historical monument.