Ventabren

Discover Ventabren, a charming village in the Bouches-du-Rhône

Ventabren is a charming village perched atop a hill dominated by the ruins of Queen Jeanne's castle and close to the magnificent Roquefavour Aqueduct.

Strategically located in the Marseille-Aix-Salon de Provence triangle, Ventabren offers both picturesque Provençal scenery and countryside less than 30 minutes from a large urban area.agglomération urbaine.

Ventabren's population has grown considerably in recent years. It has gone from being a small Provençal village to a large residential community where new houses are springing up like mushrooms and spreading out at the bottom of the village in the plains surrounding it.

The charm of the old town

In the village, you will quickly fall under the spell of its small cobbled streets lined with flowers and beautiful, carefully restored stone houses. Take the Grande Rue (which is actually very small), which climbs up to the charming little Place de l'Eglise.

The doors of the houses are often old, framed by lush vegetation, with shutters tastefully repainted in Provençal colors, slightly faded by the sun. You will discover beautiful fountains and wash houses and a 17th-century church.

Queen Jeanne's Castle

Don't miss the ruins of Queen Jeanne's castle. From the foot of the ruins, you will have a wide panorama of the Etang de Berre (which resembles a small lake), the Etoile mountain range, and Vitrolles. A site not to be missed!

The Roquefavour Aqueduct

Ventabren is unique in that it is home to the largest stone aqueduct in the world! To see it, you have to leave the village and follow the signs. The Roquefavour Aqueduct was built by a young 26-year-old engineer, Franz Mayor de Montricher, in the mid-19th century (1842-1847) to bring water from the Durance River to Marseille.

The city of Marseille needed water at all costs to combat the deadly droughts it was suffering. The Roquefavour Aqueduct was a success, its creator received every honor, and Marseille was eternally grateful to him for saving it from drought. You can explore the aqueduct with its three rows of arches, 400 meters long and 83 meters high. The Pont du Gard is 266 meters long and 47 meters high... a miniature in comparison!