Kings of the castles

Almost within sight of each other, two chateaux in Provence, France, boast virtually the same name but entirely different characters. What they do share is recent reinvention as artistic centres by famous new owners.

A medieval castle crowning a rocky hilltop in the Luberon, Chateau de Lacoste was home to the Marquis de Sade and the scene of his most complex erotic experiments. In 2001, it was bought by couturier Pierre Cardin, who has introduced outdoor sculptures and an annual arts festival; but still a pall of historic sexual violence hangs over the half-ruined edifice.

Set in rolling countryside 22 kilometres away, vineyard Chateau la Coste was bought in 2002 by Irish property tycoon Paddy McKillen, who invites renowned artists and architects to contribute site-specific works. As well as producing notable organic wines, the 200-hectare property includes artworks placed in pools, meadows and woods, and has become one of Europe's leading environmental art sites.

domain of the Sade family, Chateau de Lacoste became the beloved home of the infamous Donatien Alphonse Francois de Sade in 1765, when he was aged 25 and already on the police books for committing violent acts with Parisian prostitutes. The romantic, feudal character of the site - the steep hill capped by its phantasmagoric castle, like a Hieronymus Bosch vision - struck some central chord in Sade.

His arrival at the chateau gate with a courtesan from the capital on his arm was hailed by a ceremonial gathering of the villagers, of whom he was the feudal lord. The gate is reached after wandering through the narrow cobbled streets of the village, which clings to the steep slopes below the chateau. The scene seems largely unchanged from that of 2½ centuries ago, apart from the peasants having been replaced by artists and the boulangeries by boutiques - par for the course in France's beautiful perched villages.