Visiting the... Palace of Roure

If, for Marcel Pagnol’s hero Jean de Florette, all of ancient Provence is hidden in the hills, in Avignon it is undeniably housed in the majestic Palais du Roure.

Valentine

A native of Avignon and very attached to my city, I've been working at the Tourist Office for the past fifteen years. Passionate about culture and food, I love to share my tips, favorites and discoveries with you!

Behind the imposing gates of a delightful little square, you can take a real trip back in time, the time of Pagnol, Frédéric Mistral and the folklore that makes Provence a fragrant region that speaks to everyone.

Look up

Once you arrive in the courtyard, covered with calades, look up to see this Palace that Jeanne de Flandresy, the former mistress of the house, imagined as a French Villa Medici. A successful gamble, even if in miniature…

Visiting the Palais du Roure is like accepting an invitation to enter the intimacy of a family, a family we thought only existed in the novels of our youth. You’ll come across Jeanne’s boudoir with the feeling that she’s just left it, or Folco de Baroncelli’s bedroom, the owner before her. His bed is still there and the room is almost reminiscent of a film set. The Baroncelli family, who owned the house for 5 centuries, must have left their mark on the walls.

Not to be missed!

The guided tour

While the self-guided tour gives a magnificent overview of the treasures on offer, don’t miss the guided tour, available by prior arrangement.

The caretaker will lead you through the floors with closed doors for a discovery of rare privilege. With his lilting accent, he’ll share his passion with you as you stroll through the building, punctuated by a wealth of anecdotes.

Hidden treasures

Unique objects furnish rooms with red floor tiles steeped in history.

You’ll see the original press from Aïoli, the Provençal-language newspaper founded in 1891 by Frédéric Mistral, whose offices were located in the Palais du Roure.

As you walk through a corridor with creaky wooden floors, you’ll come face to face with the patache that used to run the Maillane/Graveson line. It was in this coach that Alphonse Daudet and Frédéric Mistral regularly travelled… Once the object of desire of a film director who intended to burn it at the end of his film, it was saved by Jeanne de Flandresy, who was quick to buy it back. It is now in its new home, much to the delight of visitors.

This second floor also houses a wing with a unique atmosphere.

Three rooms, each with its own signature, the room of painted canvases, costumes and santons, are ideal for daydreaming. You’d almost like to be locked in.

The Santon room contains an exceptional collection of these little Provençal saints. Nativity scenes under cloches evoke the fervour of certain old families in southern Italy who, when travelling for the Christmas festivities, wanted to be able to take them with them. The Palais du Roure carries on the tradition, offering a magnificent nativity scene and the traditional table of 13 desserts every December.

The Palais is packed with other marvels that make up the soul of Provence. It would be such a shame to miss out.

A final word of advice: when you leave, keep your ears open for the sound of one of the 175 bells in Jeanne de Flandresy’s collection… the Mistral? Probably…

Palais du Roure, centre for Provencal culture

What the experts have to say

Visiting the... Palace of Roure

Look up

The guided tour

Hidden treasures

Trust the locals!