Welcome to esparron-de-verdon

Esparron de Verdon is a rural town (440 inhabitants) located at the south of the department of the Alpes de Haute Provence, at 100km from Marseilles, 60 km from Aix en Provence and 30 km from Manosque.

It is at the entry of the low gorges of the Verdon that our village is perched. Its castle, its tower of the XI century, its old picturesque houses are reflected in water turquoises of its lake.

The Lake Esparron is located downstream from the large canyon of the Verdon. A surface of 328 ha, it is made of two broad perpendicular basins, bordered of creeks, cliffs and low throats, with extraordinarily wild calm water. This lake was created in 1967 by EDF, it feeds out of domestic and agricultural water 116 communes, of which Marseilles, Toulon and Aix en Provence.

This is at the entry of the Gorges du Sud Verdon which our village is perched. Its castle, its tower of XI century, its old picturesque houses, are reflected in water turquoises of its lake, most natural of the artificial deau plans, and which always seems to have existed. Esparron, it is also the lavandins, the fields of corns, the deep valleys and the vast plates. Esparron it is the pure sky, the sun, preserved nature… Our village and our lake offer to you four seasons of colors, scents, calm and rest. They are our privileges and we invite you to divide them, to contribute with us to their protection.

The old village of Esparron  hang on a rock around the castle, where perhaps the origin of its name, " esparrar" who means " glisser" into Provence. The tower dates from X or XI century, it had been built with an aim of supervising the Verdon, and perceived tolls on the passage of the men and the goods which crossed the river to the outlet of the Throats, ford, by boat, on a footbridge, then on a bridge.

This bridge, now drowned under 13 meters of water, had been built in 1725 by the Arles city, which sent its sheep in the Alps.

Esparron is located on this " draille" , it means that the way of transhumance, and lived passage of the sheep on its grounds.

The castle evolved during the centuries: the strong house, it was transformed into residence in the Renaissance. It has a splendid spiral staircase going back to this time, identical to that of the castle, close village of Allemagne-en-Provence. Its characteristic belongs to the family De Castellane since the Middle Ages, except during one short period of the Revolution, where it was sold like national good, then repurchased.

The village is divided into three parts: " Lou Vière" around the castle, the " District of the fontaines" more recent, built along the way of transhumance, and the new village, which was born after the creation of the lake.

Created in the Nineties, in the south of the village, the botanical path of Esparron joined the entry of the Gorges through timbered slopes, then returns towards the village while skirting the lake.

Length and Lasted: The path forms a loop denviron 4 km (160 m of uneven). We advise you to envisage between 2 and 3 hours to take time to discover the various facets of the vegetation while benefitting from strolls and the landscapes.