Brignoles

This rambling backcountry hill town, crowned with a medieval château, is the market center for the wines of the Var and the crossroads of this green, ungentrified region—until now, that is. With a Ducasse restaurant now in the region, real estate has rocketed, and le tout Paris whispers that this little corner of nowheresville is the next Luberon. The main point of interest in the region is the Abbaye de La Celle, a 12th-century Benedictine abbey that served as a convent until the 17th century. There's a refectory and a ruined cloister; the simple Romanesque chapel still serves as the parish church.