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Squatting on a steep-sided crag, high above the narrow valley of the River Durance, the formidable defences of the Citadelle guard one of the strategic gateways to Provence (see Sisteron). Built in the 13th century, the bastions and ramparts, crowned by towers and a graceful chapel, are an awesome piece of military engineering. In summer, they become the venue for the Nuits de la Citadelle, an enchanting festival of music, theatre and dance.

Forcalquier is a beguiling old town, evocative of past glories, when it was the seat of powerful local lords and capital of the region. One gate of the old walled town, the Porte des Cordeliers, still survives, along with the restored cloisters and stark library of the 13th-century Couvent des Cordeliers, with its tombs of the town’s medieval seigneurs.

This 17th-century fortress has a grim, businesslike look when compared with the fairytale medieval castles found elsewhere in Provence. It was built to withstand cannon fire, not just arrows and siege towers. The work of the master military engineer Vauban, it is a remarkable testimony to his skill. The Fort de France, the second of this former frontier garrison’s strongholds, has fared less well and lies in ruins.

Founded before the reign of Charlemagne, during the Dark Ages, the town of Lurs was fortified as early as the 9th century AD, when it was ruled by the bishops of Sisteron and the princes of Lurs. Deserted in the 19th century, it has now become an artists’ colony known for prints and graphic arts. There are stupendous views from the Promenade des Evêques (Bishops’ Walk) leading to the chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Vie, especially colourful in spring when the wildflowers bloom.

The highest peak in the Provençal Alps rises to a height of 3,050 m (10,020 ft) and dominates a lofty landscape of bare rocky summits, streaked by snow until early summer, pine forests and alpine meadows. The massif is crossed by breathtaking passes, including the Cime de la Bonette, by which the D64 road traverses the shoulder of Mont Pelat at a height of 2,860 m (9,400 ft), making it the highest pass in Europe.

Deep in the heart of the Luberon, the Lure mountain – an extension of the savage massif of Mont Ventoux in neighbouring Vaucluse (see Mont Ventoux) – is Provence at its wildest, least hospitable and, some would say, its loveliest. Abandoned hamlets are reminders of Provence in the first half of the 20th century, when many rural people gave up trying to scrape a living from this harsh countryside.

Moustiers, loud with the sound of a swift-running stream which flows through the middle of the village, is simply delightful, with its tall old houses, shady plane trees and flower baskets and, for those who can face the climb, a superb view of the Gorges du Verdon from the clifftop church of Notre-Dame-de-Beauvoir (see Notre-Dame-de-Beaulieu, Cucuron). The village was and is famed for its faïence ware, and you can see wonderful examples in the Musée de la Faïence (see Moustiers-Ste-Marie).

This museum, in a building designed by British architect Norman Foster, retraces the geological, cultural and environmental evolution of human life in the Verdon and throughout Europe, with an imaginative and fascinating series of displays and interactive exhibits. Guided visits to the caves, where relics of early humans have been discovered, are also offered.

Along the river Verdon, this national park is a huge patchwork of landscapes from the neatly cultivated lavender fields of the sunlit Valensole plateau (see Valensole Plateau) to the forested hills and pastures of the Artuby, the awesome chasms of the Grand Canyon du Verdon (see Grand Canyon du Verdon) and the beginnings of the Alps. There are brilliant blue lakes created where the Verdon has been dammed. This is a paradise for hikers, with a network of 700 km (450 miles) of paths, bridle-ways and ancient mule highways.

Only a brave or foolhardy enemy would have attempted to assail the citadel of Entrevaux, one of the most dramatic of all the region’s many fortresses. Perched on a pinnacle above the fairytale town, it can be reached only by a zig-zag path which passes through more than a dozen arched gateways. Lying beneath it, the impregnable Ville Forte is ringed by towers and ramparts and reached by a drawbridge.