Lamanon: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

Lamanon and the Calès site combine architectural history, troglodytic traces and paths through the landscape.

Those considering Lamanon as a destination can include renting a holiday apartment in their personal travel plans.

Culture

The Saint-Denis Chapel in Lamanon was built on the site of an older place of worship dating from the 6th century and dedicated to Saint Marcellin. The Château de Lamanon is a Provençal bastide dating from the 17th century.

The Church of Saint-Denis de Calès was built in the 12th century, extended and restored in the 14th century, and restored several more times over the centuries. It is considered the only intact surviving testimony to settlement at the troglodytic site of Calès.

The Musée de Calès is located in the Cabaret, a former hôtel particulier. It features an exhibition on the extraction, processing and export of pine resin. The first ground-floor room focuses on archaeology, explains the troglodytic complex of Calès and displays pottery found there; the second ground-floor room presents archaeological content and an exhibition.

The Site and Caves of Calès includes 58 of the 116 troglodytic caves recorded there, which were later used as living quarters for up to 220 people.

The Calès site has been classified since 26 February 1918; for safety reasons, some paths and troglodytic dwellings there are closed. In 2021, access routes to the Calès caves in Lamanon were developed. Since the latest enhancement phase, the site can be explored via two visitor circuits. Access to the Cirque de Calès is via the Calade, a stone path, and through a fortified enclosure on both the northern and southern sides. A green-marked path leads through the Cirque de Calès and begins 100 metres behind the village church.

Hiking

The “LAMANON – Autour de Calès” hiking route is a moderately difficult 13.6 km loop lasting approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes. It starts and ends at the Parking des Sources, about 500 metres from the town centre, and is accessible by ZOU public transport and TER trains via Cavaillon. The hike combines historical remains, wooded areas and panoramic views of the Alpilles.

The “Vignoble Grottes de Calès” hike starts at Domaine Bois Redon in Lamanon, is 10 km long and leads to the medieval troglodytic site of Calès; there is an opportunity to taste local wines in the vineyards.

Nature

The Château de Lamanon has a tree-filled park irrigated by the Canal de Craponne-Boisgelin; its architecture and park date from 1660.

Le Géant de Provence stands on private property and can be seen from the road at the intersection of D23 and Grand Rue in Lamanon. It is classified as a natural monument of artistic character and belongs to the “Arbres remarquables de France”. Le Géant de Provence is a plane tree approximately 300 years old, with a height of 53 metres and a circumference of 8 metres.

Further destinations for travel planning: Puyricard, Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade, Peypin, Roquevaire, Port-Saint-Louis-Du-Rhône, Port Camargue, Noves, Plan-De-Cuques.

For the higher-level travel overview: Bouches Du Rhone.