Fuveau

The Provençal village of Fuveau is perched on its rock piton since more d' one millenium, it is located in the east of Bouches-du Rhône, at 16 kilometers from Aix-en-Provence, 35 from Marseilles, and dominate the Haute-Vallée de l'Arc.
It offers a very beautiful sight to the south on the solid mass of the Sainte-Baume and the chain of  Star. In north, you can discover an exceptional panorama on the Saint-Victoire mountain. Its population borders aujourd' today 9000 inhabitants.
The softness of living of this village typically of Provence with its many historical and tourist attractions, its various demonstrations and animations, the quality and the diversity of its shelterers and restorers, the reception of its tradesmen and craftsmen, the sun and the cicadas, do not oblige you with nothing, except coming in Fuveau…

At 16 kms from Aix-en-Provence, at the bottom of the mountain Sainte-Victoire, Fuveau is a perched charming village, typically of Provence with its precipitous lanes, its superb and imposing neo-gothic church strongly inspired by the style Italian baroque and its course Victor LEYDET, heart of life, in the shade of the plane trees.
With nearly 9.000 inhabitants, Fuveau is the village of Provence where it makes good things in life, extending on 30 km ², and gently articulating around d' a moyenâgeux piton where one at every moment imagines to be able to cross a mythical figure of the history of Provence… , and that arrives sometimes.!! The fuvelains and the fuvelaines know well, that it is alive and pleasant their village of Provence, the common one knew to spare the agricultural zones which while preserving spaces of traditional cultures evolved to equine activities in all forms, seedbeds and reception. Hills and green areas remain relatively protected, each one can benefit from sporting circuit VTT and other courses.

Although the origin of Fuveau goes back to mists of time, its name appears for the first time in the writings at the end of the XI century. All the access established on the HILL SAINT-MICHEL where remains a superb vault of Roman style to the massive buttresses, the population of FUVEAU colonizes in the X century the piton of the ROCAOUDO where the church of the village is currently drawn up  .
The old workings were thus articulated around the church and of the old castle of the PEYSSONEL, remains principal lords of Fuveau. By taking time to stroll in the narrow and sinuous lanes of the village you will be the privileged witnesses of its medieval history. The DOOR OF BASSAC,  one of the last vestiges of this time, with a thickness of 1m50 was the entry baffles some on the southern part of the enclosure of the village. The old church remains a wall curious in the content about the current church with a stained glass which blocks the old opening with through which the local lords attended the offices on their premises.
The imposing and majestic building which you can admire today date of 1854 and strongly inspire by the style Italian baroque. On this same place throne the statue of Charles VERMINCK (father), first teacher of the village, whose son, benefactor of the commune at the XIX century and ship-owner, will be with the origin of the large Marseilles maritime companies. The low part of the village with her grand boulevards with the shade of the plane trees, dates mainly from the XIX century. The village lives then with the unison with the mining production. This is at that time that the Course Victor LEYDET and the Boulevards Emile LOUBET and Célestin BARTHELEMY are open. The old laundrette at the exit of the village changed the life of our lavender fields during one century. They benefitted from installations of the evacuation of the subterranean water which drowned the mining galleries. This laundrette will be used until 1968. In answer to the rise of the commune, a railway line is inaugurated between Fuveau and Valdone (Commune of Savournin Saint) consequently avoiding with the minors daily making with foot the 8 km which separated them from the coal exploitations. Just like the historical centre of the village, the commune presents many remarkable sites, like the VAULT SAINT-MICHEL (previously evoked), the PIGEON one, the MIDSUMMER'S DAY VAULT OF MELISSANE, VAULT SAINT-ROCH, the castles of the GRAND' COUNTRY HOUSE, of the PUGET, or the Castle of ARC. The Pigeon one located on the site of the VAULT SAINT-MICHEL is an old windmill, vestige seigneuriale, destroyed by a hurricane in 1839. Attested since XVI century, the VAULT JEAN SAINT OF MELISSANE is it also a vestige of this time.

In addition to an architectural and cultural heritage rich, the commune gathers many tourist infrastructures. Take time to discover the Museum of the Butterflies and some of its exposed species, leave carry yourself by one of the fabulous engines of the Museum of Provence of the urban transport and regional, or leave to discover in family the teaching farm of Campagno. If you have the heart of a sportsman, a golf of international repute, riding schools and sporting clubs will accomodate you throughout the year.