Moustiers-Sainte-Marie: The Gold Star Village of the Verdon

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie is the picture-perfect village wedged into a cleft in the cliffs at the western edge of the Gorges du Verdon, just above the turquoise Lac de Sainte-Croix. Famous for the gold star strung high between two rock faces and for centuries of fine faïence pottery, it’s listed among Les Plus Beaux Villages de France — “the most beautiful villages of France” — and is the natural lunch and photo stop on nearly every Verdon day trip. Here’s what to see and how to visit.

The gold star strung between two cliffs

The first thing you’ll notice — and the village’s enduring emblem — is the gold star suspended on a long chain stretched across the ravine high above the rooftops, between two cliff faces. By tradition the chain runs some 135 metres, and replacing the star over the centuries has been a recurring local feat.

The star is tied to a returning-Crusader legend: the story goes that a knight of the Blacas family, captured on Crusade, vowed that if he made it home he would hang a star above his village in thanks — and did. Whatever the truth of it, the gilded star catching the light against the limestone is unmistakably Moustiers, and it has watched over the village for generations.

Faïence — the pottery that made Moustiers famous

Moustiers has been a centre of faïence — tin-glazed earthenware, the white-glazed, hand-painted ceramic — since 1668, when the craft took hold and turned the little mountain village into a name known across European courts. Production rose, faded, and was revived, and today the steep lanes are lined with workshops and boutiques selling the distinctive blue-and-white (and polychrome) pieces.

Even if you’re not buying, the pottery is part of the village’s character: look for the small faïence museum and the studios where you can watch pieces being painted. It’s the classic Moustiers souvenir, and a far more local one than the usual fridge magnet.

The climb to Notre-Dame de Beauvoir

Above the village, reached by a steep stepped path that switchbacks up the ravine beneath the star’s chain, sits the chapel of Notre-Dame de Beauvoir. It’s a genuine little pilgrimage climb — a few hundred steps — and the reward at the top is a sweeping view back down over the tiled roofs of Moustiers and out toward Lac de Sainte-Croix. Wear proper shoes, take water in summer, and allow around 30–45 minutes up and back.

Down in the village itself, the pleasures are simpler: wandering the narrow lanes, the little squares and the stream that tumbles through the middle, stopping for lunch on a shaded terrace, and browsing the pottery.

How to visit Moustiers

Moustiers sits at roughly 630 metres in the back-country of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, about 1h30 from Aix-en-Provence and around 2 hours from Marseille or Nice. It’s the western gateway to the Verdon, right beside Lac de Sainte-Croix and below the south-rim Corniche Sublime.

The biggest practical issue is parking, which is limited and fills fast in July and August — another reason most visitors come on a guided trip. A typical Verdon day pairs Moustiers with the viewpoints and the lake, which is exactly how the tours are built.

See it on a Verdon Gorge day trip that loops the best viewpoints, the village and Lac de Sainte-Croix in one circuit — or, for more time to browse the pottery and climb to the chapel at your own pace, a private or small-group tour. Check the best time to visit before you set your dates; in early summer the nearby Valensole lavender adds a purple backdrop to the whole day.