Banon, a Haute-Provence hilltop village and its AOP cheese

Banon, the village > Banon cheese and Festival > Photos > Information

Between the Albion plateau and the Lure mountain, Banon combines a hilltop village with a distinctive cheese. Its lanes, viewpoints and shops can be explored independently of the annual cheese festival.

At the foot of Banon are the lavender fields: no doubt, we are in Haute Provence, between Mont Ventoux and the Lure mountain, just below the eastern limit of the Albion plateau. Banon dominates a wide valley where the Calavon rises, an intermittent river that crosses Gorges d'Oppedette to the south, then turns west towards Apt and runs along the Luberon mountain to the Durance towards Cavaillon.

Perched at the top of a high promontory, Banon retains the appearance of a perched village. Protected behind its walls, the village gradually extended towards the valley.

Banon is of course worth a visit for its famous cheese and a walk in the old village to the top of the hill will reward you with a beautiful view of the Lure mountain. You enter the old Provençal village through a 14th century medieval machicolation gate. Banon was in the Middle Ages well fortified, we can recognize the well-preserved remains of the ramparts that protected the village.

The narrow cobbled streets are lined with old houses, some of which date back to the 16th century. At the top of the village stood a castle, destroyed during the Revolution. Next to the church that covers the village, the view is splendid over the Calavon valley and the Lure mountain. The chapel of Our Lady of the Angels, of Romanesque origin, can be seen isolated on a hill, which was for a long time a place of pilgrimage.

From the summit of Banon, the view of the Lure massif is magnificent, even in winter, when the fresh air takes the eye as close as possible to the bumps and secret crevices on the side of the mountain.

Banon's Cheese AOC and Banon cheese Festival

Banon AOP is a cheese made from raw, whole goat’s milk. It is matured in brown chestnut leaves tied with natural raffia. This distinctive wrapping is part of the appellation’s identity.

The appellation protects a production method and geographical origin. Producers and cheesemongers can introduce the cheese; not every leaf-wrapped cheese belongs to the Banon appellation.

Banon cheese AOC is a traditional goat cheese that was kept for the winter. For its conservation, it is wrapped in a chestnut leaf, tied with a raffia string. Once produced in autumn, it is now produced all year round to the delight of gourmets.

This Sunday in May, the stands of regional producers - cheese, bread, wine, sausages - are set up in the main square of the village and festive activities enliven the day.

Busy festival editions attract many visitors. Check parking, any shuttle service and traffic arrangements with the organisers for each edition.

The Banon Cheese Festival is dedicated to the pleasures of the table, but also to the pleasures of the mind, it is a literary event, the famous bookstore "Le Bleuet" invites authors for a day of meetings with their readers.

Photos of Banon : slideshow

Planning your visit

The walk up through the old village includes cobbles and slopes. Festival photographs illustrate a past report; consult the next edition’s programme for dates, activities and access. Exploring the village and its shops is a separate outing.

Accommodation

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Banon's web site : village-banon.fr

What to do and what to see in Banon?

• Old Hôtel-Dieu in the old village
• Eglise Haute
• Chapel Notre-Dame des Anges
• Gouffre du Caladaïre : Caladaire abyss a cave located in the commune of Montsalier. The chasm descends into the Vaucluse plateau to a depth of 667 metres. It is part of the catchment area of the Fontaine de Vaucluse
• Fromagerie de Banon Banon cheese dairy : fromagerie-banon.fr
• Le Bleuet Bookstore : lebleuet.fr . It is the largest independent bookstore in rural areas, with 189,000 books in stock.
• Banon Cheese Festival fetedufromage-banon.fr on the 3rd Sunday in May
• Lavande en Fête, Lavender Day, the 3rd Sunday of July
• Jokair paragliding in Banon : jokair-parapente.com
• Weekly market day on Tuesday morning
• Hiking, mountain biking and cycling.

Coming to Banon

GPS coordinates : N 44°02'16'' - E 5° 37'40''

Location : altitude 790 meters, 6 miles from Simiane-la-Rotonde, 8 miles from Ongles, 9 miles from Oppedette, 11 miles from Saint-Etienne-les-Orgues, 14,5 miles from Mane, 15 miles from Forcalquier, 20 miles from Apt