From the nearest observation deck, the Provencal village of Gordes resembles the biblical city of Babylon in ancient images. The mountain with many buildings piled on top of each other and narrow streets winding between them in streams that go down to the foot. This is all that these two settlements have in common. As far as we remember, there were no lavender fields, as well as oak and olive groves, near Babylon.

Gordes is small, cozy, and very genuine. Given its history, it's amazing how Gordes could preserve it. Incomprehensibly, its rulers lost various conflicts over the centuries and suffered ensuing casualties as fires and devastation. Even the castle, strategically occupying the best position in the area, could not help. By the way, Gordes Castle is one of the best-preserved in France. Most of all, the castle looks like a large chess rook towering over the village. The initial 11th-century building (which housed the entire settlement) has not been preserved. The current one was built in the Renaissance style in the 16th century.

Unfortunately, the castle is more like a theatrical decoration today. So, do not expect to find a medieval "filling": only a few ancient, skillfully made fireplaces have survived. The castle includes a tourist information office (free paper maps, tour reservations, traditional souvenirs of Provence) and an art museum. The latter hosts temporary exhibitions of local artists, usually displaying works of modern art. Pictorial art is also connected with the castle by one interesting fact: in the 70s of the 20th century, the castle was bought by the Franco-Hungarian artist Victor Vasarely, who became a genius of Op art and a classic during his lifetime. His optical illusions gave impetus to the development of computer graphics and pixel electronic images. Moreover, the artist Marc Chagall also spent several years in the castle as a guest of Vasarely.

If a visual tour of Gordes is not enough for you, visit the city museum of local lore. There you can go down to the cellars to see the reproduced scenes of ancient life: water extraction, the work of underground water mills, lavender cultivation.