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The finest Roman theatre in Europe has its original stage wall, guaranteeing perfect acoustics (see Parc de la Colline St-Eutrope, Orange).

The Château de Roquebrune, perched on its hilltop above CapMartin, is said to be the oldest feudal castle in France. Built more than 1,000 years ago, it has been remodelled more than once, by the Grimaldi clan and, in the early 20th century, by a wealthy Englishman, Sir William Ingram, who added a mock English tower. Down at sea level, a lovely coastal path leads all the way to Monaco, passing 19th-century villas set in luxurious gardens (see Roquebrune-Cap-Martin).

The red cliffs of Roussillon are not coloured by accident. In medieval times the local lord’s wife, Sirmonde, fell in love with a troubadour. The lord had him killed and Sirmonde threw herself off a cliff, staining the rocks with her blood (see Roussillon).

After being set adrift in a boat from Palestine, Mary Jacoby (sister of the Virgin), Mary Salome, Mary Magdalene, Lazarus and servant girl, Sara landed on the Provençal coast. They were the first Christians in Gaul. The “relics” of Jacoby and Salome are found in the town’s church, as are those of Sara, patron saint of gypsies (see Notre-Dame des Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer).

Jean Cocteau decorated this room in Menton’s town hall in 1957, adorning it with colourful pictures of a fishing couple and the tragic story of Orpheus and Eurydice. More of his work can be seen in the Musée Jean Cocteau on the seafront (see Musée Jean Cocteau, Menton).

The prettiest harbour in the Var remains a proper fishing port, bobbing with boats. Beyond, palm trees fringe a frontage of pastel façades. Activity varies from relaxed to intense, notably during the morning market which enlivens the Allées d’Estienned’Orves. The beach is nearby. So, too, are plaques commemorating Thomas Mann, Bertolt Brecht and other German writers who took refuge from the Nazis here in the 1930s.

After landing in Provence, Mary Magdalene spread the Christian word, before spending her last years praying in a cave in the Ste-Baume mountains. Her remains were discovered in the 13th century and may be seen in the Gothic basilica (see Basilica St-Maximin, St-Maximin-la-Ste-Baume).

Overlooked by Les Alpilles, a thickly wooded, miniature sierra of limestone hills, St-Rémy is a perfect exploring base. Mansions built during the 15th and 16th centuries grace its historic centre. One of them was the original home of the de Sade family, ancestors of the notorious Marquis, and now houses a small museum of Roman artifacts, which were found at Glanum, about 30 minutes’ walk from the town centre. Here, the site of one of the oldest Greek-Roman settlements in Provence is landmarked by a magnificent triumphal arch and mausoleum, known collectively as Les Antiques (see Les Antiques de Glanum).

Expelled from France in the 14th century, the Jews sought refuge in those parts of Provence then belonging to the pope. This included Carpentras, whose synagogue, founded in 1367, is the oldest still functioning on French soil. Rebuilt in the 18th century, the synagogue looks like neighbouring buildings from the outside: laws forbade decoration. Within, the ground floor and cellar boasts the old bakery (for unleavened bread) and pools essential for Jewish rituals. These are presently being restored. A monumental staircase leads to the sumptuous two-storey area of worship (men upstairs, women below), setting for the tabernacle, teba, candelabra and magnificent chandeliers.

The four Corinthian columns of the 1st-century-AD temple to Apollo, standing tall and alone among fields just outside Riez on the Valensole plateau, are all that remain of the once prosperous Roman settlement of Reia Apollinaris. Eight ancient pillars, perhaps scavenged from another Roman building, are now in the early Christian church nearby, which dates from the 4th–5th century BC and is one of the oldest surviving churches in France.