PLEASE MENTION PICOMTAL IN THE SUBJECT LINE

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Languages:  English, Italian
Credit cards accepted: VISA & MasterCard

Département: Hautes-Alpes (05)

The history of the château is fascinating.  It all began in 1080 when the Lords of Embrun lost their status with the archbishops during a rebellion and settled in St Jean des Crottes where they constructed a lookout post ~ a rustic building surrounded by stockade fencing.  A watchtower allowed them to signal the populace if intruders were coming.  The first stone tower of Château de Picomtal was erected on this site at the end of the 13th century, replacing the wooden watchtower that served for so many years, and today it is the tower at the southwest corner of the château.  Since 1349, the Embrun region had been part of the Kingdom of France.  But, in 1368, the Duc d'Anjou had a conflict with Queen Jeanne of Naples (Countess of Provence), and a war began.  The locals learned from that experience that they had to maintain stronger fortresses.  Thus, the lone tower of Picomtal was joined by the construction of a square castle and three more towers between 1375 and 1380 by Antoine d'Embrun.  It allowed the garrison to keep watch and was a refuge for the farmers and their families.  In 1417, Antoine de la Villette became the lord of Picomtal.  Entrusting new construction to an Italian master builder between 1505 and 1510, he had the two 125 year-old north towers torn down, expanded the building to the north, and added two new towers. The castle was also made one story higher.  So today, the four towers of the château date back to 1270, 1380 and the two built in 1510, all similar in appearance and size.

More recent history involves Lazare de Ravel who, in 1724, bought the Crottes land and with it the castle.  He improved it greatly to make it comfortable even including running water.  At his death his son René-Hyacinthe, a priest, inherited the castle from his father who had installed a chapel in the northeast tower.  A subsequent owner added the pepperpot roofs to the four towers, and yet another later owner added the Louisiana-style veranda on the south façade of the château.  His name was Louis Berthe, and had commercial ties with Louisiana.  He planted two Virginia junipers that still shade that side of the château.  In 1876, Joseph Roman, who came from an important Provençal family, bought the château at auction and thoughtfully redecorated the interior.  The château stayed in the Roman family until 1998 when it was purchased by Jacques Peureux and Sharon Halperin who spent four years renovating it to accommodate conferences, seminars, concerts and, of course, a lovely chambres d'hôtes.

Located in the Southern French Alps overlooking Lake Serre-Ponçon, the château offers four sun-filled guest rooms and four bright and spacious guest suites in the main building, and a lovely apartment in the Annexe.  The parkland around the château consists of a French garden, orchards, meadows and forests, and it is near the Ecrins National Park that boasts peaks as high as 10,000 feet.  Perhaps best of all, vacationers here will appreciate more than 300 days of sunshine per year.  The owners, a French-American couple, Jacques and Sharon, warmly welcome bed and breakfast guests from April until the end of October, but they are happy to schedule guided group tours of the château at any time of year.  As mentioned above, the château is also host to seminars, conferences, cultural events, and receptions in spacious meeting rooms.  For those interested in French cuisine, cooking classes with a professional chef are scheduled five times a year followed by dinner in the château.  It is also open for regularly scheduled guided tours during the summer months, during European Heritage Weekend (known as Patrimoine, the third weekend in September), and Nocturnal tours by candlelight are offered in August by advance reservation.

We are sure your stay at Château de Picomtal will not only be an interesting historical journey but a very pleasant holiday experience in one of France's most beautiful regions.    

                  * * *  Book your stay at this magnificent château by contacting au Château and mention 'Picomtal' in the subject line.  * * *

Open May to October.
On site:  lovely park, French gardens, meadows, pond, orchards, spectacular views.
Vicinity:  Lake Serre-Ponçon, Parc National des Écrins, Abbaye de Boscodon, skiing, hiking, walking, Durance river and water sports.

From Paris Gare de Lyon by TGV to Aix-en-Provence (3 hours) and rent a car at the station - 2-hour drive to Château.  Or by train to Embrun via Grenoble (6 hours) or via Valence (5.5 hours).

From Paris & the North by auto: take autoroute A6 direction Lyon to the A43 / A48 go Grenoble.  From Grenoble take the N85 (Route Napoleon) to Gap to the N94  direction of Embrun/Briançon to Crots.  Turn right onto the D90 into Crots and right again on the avenue du Château, bearing right until the end to the château.

From Aix, Marseille & the South:  take A51 north to last exit La Saulce/Gap, then the D942  through Tallard to N94 direction Crots and then as above.

From Turin, Italy: via Montgenevre and Briançon, to the N94 direction Embrun.  Turn left toward Crots and then as above to the château.

Airports:   Grenoble, Lyon, Marseille, Turin
Railway Stations:  Aix-en-Provence, Gap, Embrun, Valence

Michelin Map to Château

GPS Coordinates: 
Longitude 44°53'15" N   Latitude 6°47'25" E