In 1064, the territory of La Barben belonged to the Abbaye de Saint Victor de Marseille. In 1143, the castle belonged to Pierre de Pontevès, Lord of Lambesc. In 1387, Guillaume de Pontevès, who, according to Nostradamus, had joined those who fought against Louis II from Anjou, was deprived of La Barben.
King René annexed the land to the property and became the owner of the castle in 1439. On June 18, 1453, he transferred his property to his daughter Yolande de Lorraine who in 1474 gave it back to him in exchange for the castle of Valbonette. On June 10, 1474, King René sold La Barben to Jean II de Forbin, Palamède’s brother known as “Le Grand”. The latter played an essential part in the reunion of Provence and the kingdom of Louis XI. The result is the motto of the family, that can be read everywhere in the château : “You made an earl of me. I make a king of you”.
The Forbin family were the owners of the castle for five centuries.
In 1963, the Marquis de Forbin sold the property to M. André Pons who was an agricultural engineer and who quickly opened it up to the public. M. André Pons lived in the entire château with all his family and created a warm, welcoming atmosphere in order to pass onto all visitors, whether it be adults or children, his love and respect for this château which is a real gem in the Provence patrimony that he brought back to life for 35 years.
His eldest daughter – who has a degree from the École du Louvre, and used to be a curator – together with her husband carry on the tradition of welcome and wish to develop the potential that such a patrimony can bring about in different fields related to history, culture, tourism and special events.
http://chateaudelabarben.fr

Château de la Barben

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The Château de l'Empéri is a 9th-century castle built on the rock of Puech which dominates the immense plain of Crau in the commune of Salon-de-Provence in the Bouches-du-Rhône département of France. It is listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture since 1956.
The castle was the residence of the archbishops of Arles as well as the Holy Roman emperors. It is from the latter that the castle derives its name of the Empire which at this time included the East bank of the Rhône River. During 1481, at the time of the junction with Provence, it came under the power of kings of France. Arranged and embellished during the 15th and 16th centuries it was used as jails and barracks after the Révolution time. Hardly damaged by an earthquake in 1909, the buildings were restored by the Monuments Historiques during 1926 and hosted the museum of the old Salon, before hosting now the present museum of Art and History Military.
In the Empéri stayed several kings and queens of France. Francis I and his court, Louis XIV.In 1660 Catherine de' Medici came to consult Nostradamus, the famous astrologer would have predicted the throne for her three sons and the accession of her nephew, the future king Henri IV.
The castle contains faithful representations of the various army corps from the Napoleonic Wars to the present day in its museum. The museum also contains a copy of a bed belonging to Napoleon I at Saint Helena.
Together with the Fontaine moussue and Nostradamus, the castle has become a symbol of the city and attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.
Lycée de l'Empéri
The lycée adjacent to the Château also bears the name of « l'Emperi ». In Past times, this school prepared its pupils for the Air Force military school of Salon-de-Provence, passing which students can opt to join the Air Force or, if it interests them, attempt to join the prestigious Patrouille de France based in Salon. Currently, it is a rather prestigious lycée with programs in L, S, and ES, along with a Maths and Sciences prepa.
The Lycée de l'Empéri is also known for its catering services; several television programmes cover the famous annual Christmas dinner at the Lycée, to such an extent that the grounds are restricted between 14:00 and 15:00 hours to give the students a chance to have their meal. The canteen of the school and its chef have been the subject of a broadcast on the Métropole Télévision in October 2006.
With a passion for archaeology, Dominique Valadier, the lycée Chef, carried out the unique project "The hour of the plate" (French: L'heure de l'assiette) in 2003–2004 within the restaurant of Lycée de l'Empéri.
The school became a completely smoke-free zone starting in the 2005 academic year, applying rigorously the Évin Law (French: Loi Évin) of prohibition of smoking in public places.
Culture
Each summer, the Château hosts a festival of chamber music, and some years also forms the venue for Nostradamiques – historical re-enactment of the time of Nostradamus together with processions and a transformation of the old medieval downtown. One such re-enactment was performed by the famous television presenter Jean-Pierre Foucault. In 2006, the town of Salon-de-Provence had the honour of hosting Robert Hossein, who lent his voice to the closing ceremony of the re-enactment.

Château de Empéri

In the shade of a cedar of Lebanon now tercentenary in Rognes stone orangery or by the pool overlooking the Sainte Victoire, Alphéran opens its doors today. Built to the early eighteenth century, the castle of Alphéran has a refined and privileged maintaining the spirit of the great Provençal houses.
XVIII - Start of construction of the castle. The Forbin family Issarts began building the castle under the Holy Cross domain.
Construction of the castle completed
September 19, 1724 Claude Alphéran of Bussan, just knighted, acquires called Bastide of Holy Cross that sells Jean-Baptiste de Forbin. It therefore becomes owner of Holy Cross area, he was soon part of the historical heritage of his own family.
Earthquake Lambesc
The  June 11, 1909 , an earthquake of  magnitude  6.2 on the Richter scale  occurs in the South East of France. A reconstruction of damaged buildings of the castle was begun. The then owner also benefits from this work to beautify the provincial mansion by adding a balcony, a central tower and restoring the east wing of the castle which housed the stables.
1986 - Swimming pool. Pool Building overlooking the Sainte Victoire.
2004 - interior restorations. Count Louis Roquefeuil and children undertaking domestic reclamation from 2004 and created the SARL Castle Alphéran.
http://www.alpheran.fr/

Castle Alphéran

The Château de Lourmarin is a converted castle located in the town of Lourmarin which is situated in the Vaucluse département, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of France.
Originally a 12th-century fortress, it was transformed in the 15th century by Foulques d'Agoult, chamberlain of King Rene I. of Anjou. After 1526 the castle belonged to Louis d’Agoult-Montauban and his wife Blanche de Lévis-Ventadour and the new annex made the building the first Renaissance building in the Provence Region.
Afterwards the castle became the residence of the Créqui-Lesdiguières family, who were the lords of Château de La Tour d'Aigues. Despite owning the castle, they never took residence in it, and this state of affairs continued until the beginning of the French Revolution.
After the Revolution, and despite having two more owners, the castle slowly descended into ruins.
Finally, in 1920, Robert Laurent-Vibert, a producer of cosmetics, bought the ruined castle and employed the architect Henri Pacon to restore it. In 1925, Laurent-Vibert died in a car accident. In his will he donated the castle to the Académie des Sciences, Agriculture, Arts et Belles Lettres under condition that it should be transformed into a trust, which would support young artists.

Château de Lourmarin

The Castle building dates back of 16th century and has been fully renovated in 2011 and propose a full respect of the historic place but blended with a contemporary ambiance. All the modern and intuitive equipment is at disposal.
http://www.aixenprovencetourism.com

Château de la Pioline

The Pavillon Vendôme is a historic pavilion surrounded by a French formal garden located 32 rue Celony in Aix-en-Provence, France.
History
It was built by architect Pierre Pavillon (1612-1670) between 1665 and 1667.
It was commissioned by for Louis, Duke of Vendôme (1612-1669) as a place where he could take his lover, Lucrèce de Forbin Solliès, also known as "la Belle du Canet". He died in the house on August 6, 1669.
Later, it was owned by the painter Jean-Baptiste van Loo (1684-1745), who had a studio there. It was subsequently purchased by Barthélemy-Louis Reboul, Secretary of the Académie des Sciences, Agriculture, Arts et Belles Lettres d'Aix.
After the French Revolution of 1789, it was purchased by Jean-Joseph-Pierre Guigou, who was Bishop of Angoulême, who turned it into a Catholic boarding school for girls.
In 1906, it was purchased by Henri Dobler (1863-1941), a Swiss art collector, painter and poet. He donated it to the city of Aix-en-Provence after his death. It has served as a museum since then. It is home to temporary art exhibitions.
Heritage significance
The house has been listed as a Monument historique since March 27, 1914, and the garden since October 15, 1953.

Pavillon Vendôme

The Château de Lacoste or La Coste is a ruined castle in the commune of Lacoste in the Vaucluse département of France.
Location
The castle is sited on an extension of the northern flank of the Little Luberon on which the village stands. This position offers its occupants superb views over the valley of the Calavon, the Monts de Vaucluse, Mont Ventoux and the Alps, as well as the village of Bonnieux which can be seen on a neighbouring hill.
History
The castle's origins are in the 11th century, but it was largely modified in subsequent centuries.
It was for many years the property of the Simiane family.
Two hypotheses are suggested for the transfer of the castle from the Simianes to the Sades.
In 1627, Diane Simiane married Jean-Baptiste de Sade, ancestor of the Marquis de Sade, who thus became owner of the estate.
In 1716, Isabelle Simiane bequeathed the castle to her cousin Gaspard François de Sade, Lord of Saumane and Mazan. This latter hypothesis is the most probable.
The Marquis de Sade stayed there from 1769 to 1772, between the scandals at Arcueil and Marseille, then after the latter and his flight to Italy, he took refuge there until his incarceration in the Château de Vincennes in 1777. Escaping while being transferred to Aix, he took refuge there for the last time from 16 July to 7 September 1778 before being returned to Vincennes.
It was in 1772 that he made his longest stay there, during which he built in the castle a theatre capable of holding 120 spectators. Throughout his internments, he maintained an extraordinary attachment (un attachement extraordinaire) for La Coste.
During the French Revolution, the castle was vandalised and largely destroyed. The construction materials were sold.
Crippled with debts, in year IV of the Republic (1796) the castle and its estate were sold to Rovère, deputy of Vaucluse and a native of Bonnieux, who, a victim of the Coup of 18 Fructidor, was deported to French Guiana where he died at Sinnamary in 1798.
In 1952, André Bouer, college teacher, became the owner and dedicated himself to the castle's restoration.
In 2001, Pierre Cardin bought the castle. His second residence, the castle is being renovated. In summer each year, he organises a musical artistic festival in the quarries to the west of the castle.
The castle in art
De Sade described his castle in two of his works – La Marquise de Ganges and Les cent vingt journées de Sodome (The 120 Days of Sodom) – under the name of the Château de Silling.
The castle is used as a backdrop in the comic Dick Herisson, by Didier Savard. In the album Le Vampier the castle is the centre of a proto-Nazi plan to purify the Aryan race. At the end, the vilain is smashed to death against the walls of the building as he tries to escape an angry mob.
Ancient monument
The castle has been listed since 1992 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture. Protection covers the castle itself, the courtyards and the dry moats.

Château de Lacoste (Vaucluse)

Telling the story of the history of the Ansouis castle covers over 2000 years. At the origin, it was a military fortress which stood guard over the Aigues valley. There were many transformations in the 12th and 13th centuries. The elegant southern façade was added, softening the austere military appearance of the castle. Groves of trees, gardens, and terraces surround the castle with a gracious green setting and add to the inimitable charm of this site. The castle is privately-owned. Guided tours (only in French) are scheduled by the owners.
The magnificent Ansouis castle in the southern Luberon has been completely restored and is open to the public. The beautiful honour staircase leads you to ornate rooms emblelished with staff work and lovely furnishings. Go back in time to the Middle Ages and the Ancien Régime.
We also suggest a driving trip in the Luberon on the theme of: Les Châteaux et jardins en Luberon.
The castle's history goes back to the 10th century, when a military fortress was built on this high spot overlooking the AIgues Valley. There was a dungeon surrounded by a few isolated buildings. This fort belonged to the powerful families of the times - the Forcalquier family, then the Counts of Provence and as of the 1200's, the Sabran family.
The Wars of Religion drew to an end in the late 1500's, and the châteaux-forts began to be transformed into more gracious homes.
In the 17th century, the château d'Ansouis was renvoated, gardens and terraces were added, and new owners took over. First, in the 18th century, the Escalis, followed by the Villeuneuve family who made the castle into an Aix showcase, with the beautiful ornamental plasterwork.
The château d'Ansouis became a leading example of the lifestyle of the aristocracy during the Enlightenment.
The Sabran Pontevès families arrived in the early 19th century. The Duchess de Sabran-Pontevès saved the château d'Ansouis from ruin and had the chateau and the grounds registered in 1948.
Today the Chateau d'Ansouis is a unique venue in Provence, for the different styles can be seen - the Aix period embellishments and the home designed in the mid-18th century which marked the beginning of a more pleasant lifestyle at the time. 
https://www.provenceguide.co.uk/