Lubéron Mountains - Apt

The best starting point for a drive through the Lubéron is Apt, situated in the basin of the same name, the Bassin d'Apt on the little River Calavon. Of interest is the former Cathedral of Ste-Anne, originally Romanesque but considerably altered in the 14th and 17th centuries. In the Baroque Chapelle Ste-Anne is the reliquary of the patroness of the church. The treasury contains reliquaries from Limoges and illuminated manuscripts. The archeological museum has, in addition to Gallo-Roman antiquities, a considerable collection of ceramics.

From Apt Road D943 runs south to the Lubéron. It passes through a varied and scenically beautiful landscape with orchards; ahead rises the mountain range of the Lubéron with the old village of Bonnieux and, on the right, the village and castle ruin of Lacoste. The castle is associated with the notorious Marquis de Sade to whom it belonged; he withdrew here after the Arcueil affair in 1771.