St-Remy-de-Provence and Glanum
The Luberon - Apt, Gordes, Bonnieux, Lacoste and Ménerbres
The Dentelles de Montmirail - Séguret and Crestet
Abbeys of Senanque, Frigolet and Montmajour
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Avignon “City of the Popes”
In 1309, the Pope Clement V took refuge in Avignon from the violent upheavals racking Northern Italy and Rome. The popes stayed for nearly 70 years before Gregory XI returned to Rome in 1377. And even after this, as part of the Great Schism of the Roman Catholic church, Avignon was home to two “antipopes” or pretenders to the papal throne. It was the last of these, Benoit XIII, who in a desperate attempt to protect his ever weakening position, built the city walls that stand to this day.
The principal sites of Avignon are the ‘Palais des Papes’ (the papal palace), the bridge, and the city walls. But Avignon has much more to offer. Days discovering the city, strolling in its picturesque and lively streets (especially when the University is in session or the Festival is in full swing) will delight any visitor.
Link to the Avignon Office de Tourisme
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St-Rémy-de-Provence
St-Rémy has been a draw for over 2,000 years. The Greeks and Romans settled here, at the foot of The Alpilles, and the picturesque remains of their town, Glanum, just south of St-Rémy, can still be visited today.
Adjacent to Glanum is the hospital of St-Paul-de-Mausole, where Vincent van Gogh sort refuge in the last 18 months of his life, perhaps his most productive period, before taking his own life. A short tour can be made of part of the building and grounds.
St-Remy is also the birthplace of Nostradamus (that was predictable!).
More recently, St-Rémy-de-Provence has become famous as a haunt for the rich and famous - a trend started by Princess Caroline of Monaco - so don't be surprised to spot the odd film star or France's new first lady! It is extremely picturesque with several shady squares and comes alive on Wednesday mornings as its weekly market sprawls through its streets. Its annual 'Transhumance', where sheep are driven through the town before their departure to summer pastures is not to be missed if you are in the area.
St-Remy is a great place to dine and many of our favourite restaurants are to be found there.
Link to the St-Remy-de-Provence Office de Tourisme
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Arles
A major tourist attraction, Arles was immortalised by van Gogh in 1888 during an intense period of painting. Toward the end of that year, his friend Gauguin joined him here. And it was here, in December, after an altercation between the two friends, that van Gogh cut off his ear! A van Gogh trail guides visitors around the town, visiting the sites of many of his famous paintings from that time. Also, the famous swing bridge, subject of several of his paintings, can be visited just outside the town to the south.
But Arles is much older than that. It was an extremely important Roman and medieval town, capital of Gaul, Britain and Spain in the time of Constantine. Its Roman past still lies at the heart of the town, in the form of its still functioning amphitheatre, used for the southern French form of bullfighting, where the bull is not put to death.
Link to the Arles Office de Tourisme
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Les Baux and the Alpilles
The Alpilles are the range of hills running East-West to the South of St-Rémy-de-Provence. Outside of the high summer months (when fire risks are too great) there are interesting walks to be found in the Alpilles.
As well as St-Rémy, the Alpilles is the the loctation of several beautiful 'villages perchés', most notably Les-Baux-de-Provence and Eygalières.
Les-Baux, a stunningly situated medieval castle and village built into a ridge of the Alpilles, gave its name to Bauxite in the 19th century as it was in these hills that aluminium ore was first extracted. The English audio tour of the castle is very enjoyable and informative.
In the hollowed out hill of the old bauxite quarries, a stunning 'son et lumière' centre has been established. Aptly called the 'Cathedrale d'Image', every one of our guests who visits this cathedral sized space with its 360º walk through video/audio show comes back raving about how good it is!
Less spectatcular? Maybe. More chic? Definitely! That's Eygalières at the other end of the Alpilles. Haunt of international movie stars, french media moguls and the kind of well-to-do holiday maker that shuns the Côtes d'Azur as too flash and showy. Climb to the picturesque, ruined castle on the hill above the village to admire the breath-taking view before descending to 'Chez Bru' to admire the breath-taking menu!
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Isle-sur-la-Sorgue & Fontaine-de-Vaucluse
Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is built not on an island, but on a series of canals into which the tributaries of the River Sorgue are channelled throughout the town. In earlier times, these canals were used to drive the town's many waterwheels (several still exist) providing power for cloth manufacture. Nowadays, it is the picturesque setting for one of France’s principal antiques centres and a large, colourful Sunday market and antiques market.
Nearby, at Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, the River Sorgue bursts dramatically from the base of limestone cliffs - particularly impressive in the spring.
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Vaison-la-Romaine
In an extremely picturesque setting, the two halves of the town face each other across the gorge of the River Ouvèze, linked by the still operating Roman bridge. Incredibly, this bridge, whilst normally high above the riverbed, was covered by floodwaters in the winter of 1992 (look out for the plaque). One half of the town is medieval, with narrow, winding streets working up to the ruin of the castle above the town. The other side of the river is later (18th C.) town. It is here that the visitor can walk amongst the extensive, excavated remains of the earlier Roman town, including a theatre and colonnaded streets, still used for performances today.
Link to the Vaison-la-Romaine Office de Tourisme
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Orange
Former seat of the counts of Orange, who went on to form the Dutch royal family and from whom William of Orange, William III of Great Britain, was descended. The town is Roman in origin and its main attraction is the large Roman theatre at its centre - said to be the best preserved Roman theatre in existence. Also worth seeing is the town's Arc de Triomphe - a Roman triumphal arch of the kind upon which its later Parisian cousin is based.
Link to the Orange Office de Tourisme
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Chateauneuf-du-Pape
This village takes its name from the 14th century summer palace of the popes on the hill around which it is formed. It is not for this that it is famous, but for the wine that the surrounding, pebbly vineyards produce - one of the best known in France.
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Aix-en-Provence
Medieval capital of Provence and home to one of France’s oldest universities (founded in 1409), Aix can still lay claim to being the cultural capital of the region. It is a stunningly beautiful town. Of particular note is the Cours Mirabeau, lined with giant plane trees, which is the home of many of Aix’s best cafés and restaurants, including Les Deux Garçons, famous watering hole of artists and writers.
Two of Aix’s most famous residents were the writer Emile Zola and his close friend, artist Paul Cezanne. Cezanne used Aix as the base from which to paint his famous pictures of the nearby Mont Saint Victoire. The Atelier Paul Cezanne - left exactly as it was at the time of the artist’s death in 1906 - can still be visited.
Aix is also home to one of Provence’s largest and best markets which takes place each Saturday.
Link to the Aix-en-Provence Office de Tourisme
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Nîmes
One of the most important cities of Languedoc, Nîmes is famed for its huge Roman amphitheatre, bullfighting and the wine and olive production of the surrounding countryside.
Link to the Nîmes Office de Tourisme
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Uzès
Over the River Rhône in Languedoc (although sometimes in Provence according to the balance of power and whose terminology), Uzès is a beautiful medieval hilltop town, centred on a marketplace shaded by lime trees and surrounded by medieval colonnaded shopping arcades. Worth a visit at any time, Uzès has a particularly good market on Saturdays.
Link to the Uzès Office de Tourisme
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The Camargue
The Camargue is the great salt marsh of the delta of the River Rhône. It is the unique habitat of wild, white horses, fighting bulls, and the ‘guardians’ that herd them - a kind of Provençal cowboy! It is also home to great flocks of flamingoes as well as many other marsh and seabirds, birds of prey, wild boar, beavers, water snakes and a wide variety of amphibians.
Many areas have now been re-irrigated with fresh water to produce rice. Other areas are still used to produce salt - an industry dating back to Roman times.
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Pont du Gard
One of the wonders of France, this incredible three-tiered Roman aqueduct spans the gorge of the River Gard just west of Remoulins in Languedoc. Canoe trips can be taken downstream under the aqueduct.
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Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux stands alone and 1900m high close to the centre of the Vaucluse. On clear days, it can be seen from all around the region. Its peak is pale, made up of exposed shale, stripped bare by the elements and often mistaken for snow.
The mountain, whilst providing a venue for both motor and winter sports is most famous for its links with cycling. Its torturous climb often forms one of the highlights of the Tour de France and it was on one such ascent that British cyclist Tommy Sheridan collapsed and died, his last words reported to be “Put me back on that bloody bike”. A small monument to Sheridan is often supplemented with the old tyres of respectful cyclists.
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The Luberon
Gordes, Bonnieux, Menerbres and Oppéde-le-Vieux
The Luberon is a range of hills running east-west at the south the Vaucluse. It is heavily forested, giving way at times to summer pastures for sheep. On clear days, where the forest opens up, there are great views north from the ridge towards Mont Ventoux and south towards the Mediterranean.
The hills and valley to the north form the Luberon Natural Park and include many picturesque “villages perchés” such as Gordes, Bonnieux and Ménerbres (the latter being the home of Peter Mayle, when he wrote “A Year in Provence”).
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The Dentelles de Montmirail
Running in a north-south spine between Vaison-la-Romaine and Carpentras, at the western foot of their big brother, Mont Ventoux, lie the Dentelles de Montmirail. An imposing range of jagged limestone hills, they dominate the landscape for miles around. They are said to resemble the contorted pins of a lace-making board. Dentelles means lace and is nothing to do with teeth although to many the silhouette of the hills resembles a line of broken teeth. The hills are great walking country and a fine backdrop to the wine producing villages of Gigondas, Beaumes-de-Venise, Vacqueryras, Séguret and Sablet.
Villages perchés and bohemian “hang outs”
Séguret and Crestet, on either flank of the Dentelles de Montmirail, a medieval village sitting at the base of a small hill, crowned by the ruin of its castle. Both abandoned until the twentieth century, Séguret and Crestet were restored to their current glory by artists and bohemians seeking a ‘vrais provençal’ experience. Amongst their tiny, winding streets, artists’ and craftsmen's workshops can still be found.
Séguret is also the home of one of our favourite wines, Domaine du Mourchon - www.domainedemourchon.com
In Crestet, visit the Crestet Centre de Art, displaying sculpture in a woodland setting and free of charge.
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Abbeys of Sénanque, Frigolet and Montmajour
The three abbeys of Sénanque, Frigolet and Montmajour are all nearby.
The Abbaye de Sénanque is one of the best known sites of Provence. Set deep in a gorge near Gordes and surrounded by geometric fields of lavender (in flower from mid-June to mid-August) the abbey continues to be run by Cistercian monks whose lay activities include farming lavender and production of honey.
The abbey of Frigolet remains in use to this day as a centre for prayer and retreat. It is not historically as significant as the abbeys of Sénanque or Montmajour, but worth a visit for its idyllic setting and walking in the surrounding Montagnette hills.
Originally built on what was an island, the Abbaye de Montmajour on the outskirts of Arles, dates back to the 11th century. It was enlarged in the 18th century with the building of a second, imposing monastery nearby. The 124-step climb to the top of the fortified watchtower affords a stunning view of the Alpilles to the east and Rhône valley to the west.
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Ochre country
Roussillon and the Colorado Provençal
Roussillon, in the Luberon Natural Park, is distinguished from its neighbours such as Gordes and Bonnieux through its connections with the ochre industry. For centuries the cliffs of Roussillon have been mined for the stunning range of natural coloured ochre occurring in the stone. The village, built from the same red, orange and yellow stone seems to grow out of the exposed cliffs below. The old ochre quarries can be visited as can the museum of ochre, just outside the village.
Even more extensive, and at times quite other worldly, are the old ochre quarries at nearby Rustrel. These incredible cliffs and outcrops are known as the Colorado Provençal.
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Off-the-beaten-track
Our corner of Provence is so full of amazing places that some of the smaller, more intimate sites are hardly ever mentioned in the guidebooks. This is great news for us, as we know of a ruined Roman aqueduct, a troglodyte monastery, several quiet villages, tiny little Romanesque chapels that we can have pretty-much to ourselves every time we visit!
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