4 Best Sights in Ménerbes, Provence

Part museum, part cabinet of curiosities, this 14th-century mansion in the heart of Cavaillon, a medieval town 15 km (9 miles) west of Ménerbes, is an extraordinary repository. Its five floors contain architectural and archaeological artifacts (some found in an on-site dig), religious relics, ancient books and prints, tapestries, and musical instruments. In addition, a remarkable collection of art includes everything from masterpieces by Caravaggio and Artemesia Gentileschi to modern works by Victor Vasarely and Cy Twombly—each illustrating, in its own unique way, the story of this fascinating region. Even the garden is a wonder, harboring the remains of Hellenistic and Roman temples. Visits, by reservation only, can be made on the website.

The flowering of a 25-year project, this lovely botanical garden is planted on rediscovered 18th-century terraces at the highest point of La Citadelle vineyards, with magnificent views of Ménerbes and the Vaucluse and Ventoux mountains. Stroll its scenic paths to see hundreds of medicinal and aromatic plant species used in traditional medicines for millennia. Afterward, enjoy a tasting at the domaine and entrance to the Musée du Tire-Bouchon, the world's first museum dedicated to the corkscrew.

Don't miss this quirky museum, which has some 1,200 corkscrews—the oldest dating from the 17th century—collected from all over the world. There are also some interesting historical displays on various wine-related subjects.

The ornate synagogue in Cavaillon, now a museum, belonged to one of the four communities protected for five centuries under the Avignon popes and is set in the heart of the town’s Jewish ghetto, which, from medieval times until the 18th century, was closed every evening. Though the ground-floor rooms (including a bread bakery and ritual bath) were built in the 15th century with stone from the onsite quarry, the rococo-style sanctuary upstairs dates from an 18th-century restoration. The colorful and gilded interiors belie the Jewish population's difficult and severely circumscribed existence. The museum offers six to eight guided tours per day in high season (two in English) by reservation only. Cavaillon is 15 km (9 miles) west of Ménerbes.