Perched on the mountainside and crossed by the River Adou, Moustiers-Sainte-Marie is one of the region’s most picturesque spots, beautifully illuminated on summer nights.

This village, which resembles a life-size Provençal nativity scene, was founded in 433. A wrought-iron chain (from the centre of which hangs a star, a votive offering that has become the town’s symbol) spans 227 metres, linking the two sides of the cliff above the village, which has been carved out by the torrent. It is said to have been strung up by a former crusader in the 13th century.

Moustiers owes its reputation to the Church of Notre-Dame-de-Beauvoir and to the famous local earthenware, which brought prosperity to the village in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Difficulty ****