Châteaux

Medieval fortress built on a rocky spur. It also houses the 'Université du Vin'.

After several months of conversion work and restoration of the décor, ending in April 2013, the castle of Suze-la-Rousse can take you on a extraordinary trip through time and space, featuring the history of this listed historical building and vine growing/wine production activities in the Drôme.

A new tour, on the first floor of the castle, enables visitors to discover not only the remarkable architecture and décors of this medieval fortress converted into a stately home during the Renaissance, but also the world of wine and vines, through a multidisciplinary approach combining art and decorative arts, archaeology, history, ethnology, economy, training and different crafts associated with wine. This project was developed in partnership with the training and teaching activities of the Wine University, housed in the castle. Its aim is to promote wine tourism in this region with a long history and experience of wine- growing. Not to be missed!

Fine example of Renaissance architecture in south-eastern France, forever associated with that famous letter-writer, the Marquise de Sévigné.
The Château de Grignan was built in the Middle Ages as an acropolis dominating the site and the village. 16th century rebuilding transformed the edifice into one of the greatest Renaissance châteaux of South-East France and further building in the 17th century into 'one of the finest antiquities in France'. The presence of Madame de Sevigné and her daughter Madame de Grignan, the privileged place the château occupies in their correspondence and the influence of Comte François de Castellane Adhémar de Monteil, 'Viceroy' of Provence from 1669 to 1714, all conspire to make this a key site in the history of the region.

The Château des Adhémar at Montélimar is one of the most important examples of medieval architecture in the mid-Rhone valley. It was built by the Adhémar of Monteil family on the top of a hill above the town which bears its name (Montélimar means the Little Hill of the Adhémars). Within the curtain wall there remains an 11th century chapel and a 12th century residence with outstanding decorative features.