Saint-Pierre Mill above Fontvieille, in the Alpilles — Saint-Pierre Mill, known as Daudet's Mill, was built in 1814.

Getaways in the Alpilles

Daudet's Mill in Fontvieille

Above Fontvieille, in the Alpilles, the Saint-Pierre Mill bears the name of the writer who made it famous without ever living there.

Daudet's mill was not his home

At the western edge of the Alpilles, the Saint-Pierre Mill overlooks Fontvieille. Alphonse Daudet stayed in the village with his cousins, the Ambroy family, at Château de Montauban. He found in local life, the hills and the windmills some of the material for Letters from My Windmill. Local tradition later gave the Saint-Pierre Mill, also known as Ribet Mill, the name of “Daudet's Mill”, although the writer never lived there.

“A lovely pinewood, sparkling with sunlight, tumbles before me down the slope. On the horizon, the Alpilles outline their fine ridges… No noise. Only, from time to time, the sound of a fife, a curlew among the lavender, a mule bell on the road… All this beautiful Provençal landscape exists solely for the light.”
— Alphonse Daudet, Letters from My Windmill

The mill on the hill above Fontvieille, among the olive trees — The mill stands out on the hill above Fontvieille, among the olive trees.

A flour mill, now a museum

It was in this light that Daudet set The Secret of Master Cornille, the story in which windmills see their world disappear before the arrival of steam-powered mills. The Saint-Pierre Mill was built in 1814 on the hill overlooking Fontvieille. For a century, Ribes was its last miller. The mill was gradually abandoned as steam mills took over.

In 1935, the Friends of Alphonse Daudet association chose the Saint-Pierre Mill for a museum dedicated to the writer. The building and its period mechanism were preserved: gears, millstones and timber still evoke the workings of the region's windmills.

One of the mills along the trail through the pine woods at Fontvieille — One of the three other mills discovered along the trail, sheltered among the pines.

The trail of the four windmills

The trail crosses hills and pine woods, leading to three other windmills scattered through the landscape. It then reaches Château de Montauban, among the places Daudet knew during his stays in Fontvieille.

Château de Montauban at Fontvieille — Château de Montauban, where Daudet stayed, now houses a small museum dedicated to the writer.

Château de Montauban, a place of memory

Once the home of the Ambroy family, Château de Montauban now houses a museum dedicated to Fontvieille's history and Daudet's stays in the village. Its rooms and collections evoke the writer's familiar surroundings, before the trail leads back into the hills among the windmills.

Continue the getaway in the Alpilles

From Fontvieille, the Alpilles roads lead to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, the Antiques of Glanum and, on Wednesdays, the lively streets around the Saint-Rémy market. The route can then continue towards Les Baux-de-Provence. To the east, Saint-Sixte Chapel and, near Tarascon, Saint Gabriel Chapel extend the discovery of the landscapes and heritage of the Alpilles.

The façade of Saint-Pierre Mill at Fontvieille — The mill, now a museum, preserves its period mechanism in the heart of a pine wood.

Practical information

Visiting Daudet's Mill

Location and parking: The municipal Moulins car park is close to the trailhead for the four windmills and Château de Montauban. Parking is chargeable.
Windmill trail: The trail passes four windmills and leads to Château de Montauban. It is accessible all year round, subject to current restrictions on access to the surrounding hills.
Visiting the mill: Saint-Pierre Mill is currently closed to visitors. The exterior can still be seen; check reopening information with the Fontvieille tourist information office.

Information about the Moulins car park and the trail, published by Fontvieille town council.

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