Provençal village
Puyricard
The Aix countryside at its most authentic.
North of Aix-en-Provence, Puyricard spreads its bastides and estates among vines, pines and olive trees. Long a village in its own right and now part of the city of Aix, it has kept the air of a peaceful, discreet Provençal countryside.
Its heritage never makes a show of itself: a few old residences, lanes lined with dry-stone walls, origins dating back to the Middle Ages. Here, the art of living matters more than monuments.
For Puyricard is to be savoured as much as visited. It is the birthplace of a chocolate house founded in 1967, and one of the lands of the Coteaux d’Aix appellation, where estates roll out their rows of vines up to the slopes of the Trévaresse.
Life follows the rhythm of the Provençal seasons — orchards in blossom in spring, the shade of the pines in summer, golden grape harvests in autumn. Puyricard is a peaceful, gourmet interlude, a stone’s throw from urban Provence.
Renowned chocolate maker
An artisan chocolatier housed in a château
Wine route
AOC Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence
Unspoilt countryside
Olive groves, bastides and pine woods
Discover
TO SEE
La Chocolaterie de Puyricard
In 1967, Marie-Anne and Jan-Guy Roelandts, newly arrived from Belgium, settled here and founded their chocolate house. More than half a century later, the chocolate maker is still family-run and perpetuates an entirely artisanal savoir-faire. It holds the Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant label, a distinction reserved for crafts of excellence. Chocolate is made here, but so is the calisson, the speciality of the Pays d’Aix. The house can be discovered through its shop and, for those who book, through its production workshops.
Le Château du Seuil
A few kilometres from the village, the Château du Seuil watches over its vines from the first slopes of the Trévaresse. This former bastide, whose buildings span the 15th to the 17th centuries, is one of the finest properties in the Pays d’Aix. The château and its formal French gardens are listed as Historic Monuments. Certified organic, the estate stretches over more than sixty hectares of vines under the Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence appellation. All around, woods and garrigue form a peaceful, unspoilt setting.
Experience
TO DO
Visiting the chocolate workshop
Behind the shop, the chocolate maker opens the doors of its workshops. The visit follows every stage of production, right alongside the master chocolatiers. Pralines, calissons and other treats come to life before your eyes, before you taste them. To go further, workshops let you try your own hand, by reservation. A gourmet stop for children and grown-ups alike.
Lingering at the Château du Seuil
The estate can be visited all year round, by reservation. A guided walk leads from the vineyard to the gardens, from the vat room to the cellars. Then comes the tasting: white, rosé and red cuvées, along with the property’s organic olive oil. Recently, a waymarked trail of around two kilometres has been winding between vines and forest, at the foot of the Trévaresse. The perfect way to extend the tasting with a true escape into nature.
Exploring the Aix countryside
Around Puyricard, little roads run between vines, olive trees and bastides. It is ideal terrain for a walk or a bike ride, far from the bustle. The gentle slopes of the Trévaresse suit leisurely outings and more energetic ones alike. Round a bend, an estate or an old stone wall tells the story of rural Provence. You ride slowly, you stop, you breathe in the scent of the pines.