Market day: Thursday
Festivities:
> Saint-Romain local festival: 2nd weekend in August
> Plant market: last Sunday in April
The village of Villecroze-le-Grottes has preserved its authenticity and its medieval character. It is a walkable village with a maze of narrow alleys with vaulted passageways and arcades, squares and a bell tower (the old keep adjacent to the castle) not forgetting its fountains.
Overlooking a remarkable, rich park with Mediterranean trees, the cliff cave houses and fortified caves have been classified since 1924. A waterfall of 35 meters offers a touch of freshness.
The village is nestled in the foothills of the Alps, surrounded by hills covered with pine and oak trees home of the mysterious wind that is the ‘mistral’. It is classified as a “Village of Character” and received a prize in the Villages in Bloom competition.
Where does the name of “Bugadières” come from?
The Bugadières were the washerwomen who managed the laundries. The origin of the word comes from the Old French “bute”, which means doing the laundry and then “bugado” that gave the modern word for French laundry ‘buanderie’.
Open-air theater with lovely views over the Haut-Var Verdon countryside. Pruned cypresses and small maze on site
Discover the whole of the old village, classified as a "village of character in the Var". Pedestrianized, it offers a labyrinth of narrow streets with vaulted passageways, arcades, flower-filled squares and the gentle sound of fountains.
Don't miss: the rue des arcades.
Continue your stroll as far as the Théâtre de Verdure, where you'll appreciate the alignment of Provence mulberry trees and the majestic size of the cypress trees.
This lovely late 11th-century Romanesque chapel, listed on the Inventaire Supplémentaire des Monuments Historiques, is the village's former parish church.
Built of tufa stone, it comprises a 3-bay nave, 1 side aisle and a semi-circular apse with a cul-de-four vault.
The entrance door is undoubtedly the chapel's most interesting feature. Next to it is a second door, possibly the chapel's original entrance. There's also an attractive bell-wall rising above the triumphal arch.
Today, the chapel hosts a number of classical music concerts.
The troglodytic caves nestle in the heart of the sun-drenched tufa cliffs. Occupied since prehistoric times, they have belonged successively to Benedictine monks, to the local lord who fortified them, and then to the commune.
On 5 levels, you'll discover mullioned windows, loopholes, a passage behind the waterfall, two small basins, generous concretions and stalactites that have become columns. You'll enjoy a remarkable view over the park.
They once belonged to the Benedictines, who took refuge here during the Saracen invasions. Vigilant, they may have lived here, defended themselves and escaped from time to time, no doubt through the enormous opening of a monumental chimney that opened onto the top of the grotto.
It was around this time, in the 9th century, that the caves, of natural origin, were used to protect against invaders, and were transformed into underground fortresses with loopholes and bars to protect the exits.
From the 12th century onwards, Villecroze prospered, vigilance waned, and the caves seem to have been abandoned, deprived of any human presence and subject to the wear and tear of time.
Listed as a Natural Site and Monument since 1924, they combine history and geology.
BUY TICKETS ON WWW.GROTTES-VILLECROZE.FR
12 rue Ambroise Croizat
83690 VILLECROZE
04 94 67 50 00
12 rue Ambroise Croizat
83690 VILLECROZE
04 94 70 63 06
04 94 67 53 29
