Around
The Vaucluse
It is here that the heart of Provence beats, in the luminous region of Vaucluse, a small end of the south-east of France of incomparable richness and variety: Avignon, papal city famous for its international festival of theater, the Luberon and its perched villages, Isle sur la Sorgue and its antique shops. You will be seduced by the Haut Vaucluse which smells of lavender, truffle and wine, with Vaison la Romaine and its unique Gallo-Roman remains, the enclave of the Popes, Mont Ventoux and Sault or the vineyards of Côtes du Rhône .
The Mont Ventoux…
A colossus of 1912 m. At the first green foothills made of vines and then forests, there follows the lunar landscape on which, like a candle, is placed a tower with its white and red antenna, which houses a telecommunications network and a weather station. A bald mount that dominates Provence, and from which, in good weather, you can see the Mediterranean to the south, the great peaks of the Alps to the north. He gave his name to this terroir with wines, truffles, cherries from the Monts de Venasque, strawberries from Carpentras ... spread out at his feet, from Vaison-la-Romaine to Carpentras, from Bedoin to Sault
In the footsteps of the Romans
In addition to the traces of communication routes, many monuments have crossed the centuries, offering us a life-size view of the organization of Roman cities and their daily lives. It is the cities of Orange and Vaison-la-Romaine which benefit from the most beautiful testimonies of the Roman era.
Fontaine de Vaucluse and the Sorgues
Follow the white water from Fontaine-de-Vaucluse and its mysteries to Isle-sur-la Sorgue, capital of antique shops Between Mont-Ventoux and the Luberon hills, the river Sorgue, a limpid river, winds from Fontaine de Vaucluse, its resurgence at Isle sur la Sorgue, "Venice comtadine" become capital of China. Fontaine de Vaucluse, this "Vallis Clausa", gave its name to the department, Vaucluse. Here, at the foot of a fig tree that seems to watch over this mysterious spring, the water gushes out of the ground in the spring, in a quivering foam that creates rainbows in the sun; in summer, it is a deep and dark abyss that one discovers, and the fig tree reveals its roots, like a gold digger, digging the earth in search of a richness that hides in depth ... In Isle sur la Sorgue, change of scenery. The Sorgue sings in the dawn wheels, along the canals reminiscent of Venice, and where we sometimes cross nego chin, these "Provencal gondolas". Follow the quays, and you will find on the way the stalls of antique shops, which this small city is one of the European capitals.
The "gorges de la Nesque", a landscape shaped by time
History of a river and a diligence road between the plain of the Comtat and country of lavender ... By leaving Villes sur Auzon to join the lavender fields, you have to follow the picturesque road of the Gorges de la Nesque, because this underground river that only blows when it rains has drawn, for millennia, a magical landscape. A grandiose canyon, an old stagecoach road with breathtaking vertiginous steeplessness, tunnels and stone arches, the dry bed of the river that can hardly be seen under lush vegetation, such is the decor . Break at the Belvedere du Castellas to admire the Rock of Wax, which owes its name to wild swarms of bees in the niches of the rock, and for which we braved the cliff to collect the honey! At the bottom of the Gorges hides a small chapel of the eleventh century, the Chapel St Michel de Anesca, accessible by hiking from Monieux.
Avignon, the city of the popes
Capital of festivals, medieval town with confidential and picturesque streets. Who did not survey the Papal Palace, the Pont St Bénézet or immersed in the tumult of theater festivals in July, did not enjoy a holiday in Avignon! Arriving in Avignon, gateway to PACA, by the banks of the Rhone, the Palace of the Popes and Notre Dame des Doms stand out against the blue sky. In the distance, the Pont St Bénézet defies the rage of the Rhone, which once had half of this building! Avignon, medieval walled city, was also "Vatican in Provence" the time of 7 popes and 2 anti-popes who left their home, the Palais des Papes, in memory of their cultural influence in Europe. Today, the 2 festivals of Theater, the Avignon Festival and Avignon Off, make the city of the Popes every year the capital of the theater in France, and perpetuate the cultural history of the city.
Ochres, Colorado Provençal way technicolor
Ocher color the landscapes of the Luberon. Following the retreat of the sea several million years ago, the accumulated limestone deposits were transformed into ocher sand under the effect of torrential rains. Ocher was first used for rock paintings, then rediscovered at the time of the Revolution and marketed for a century throughout the world for its unalterable coloring properties. Natural pigment, ocher is now back in force, giving life to many activities, affecting painting, decoration, pottery and building.
Visit a village of Provence
Above the stones weathered by the weather, the sun radiates for the sole pleasure of tasting the shadow of the narrow streets and the cool fountains on the plots. Perched villages have shaped the landscapes of Vaucluse. Among the seven villages classified "Most beautiful villages of France", six are perched: Ansouis, Gordes, Roussillon and Ménerbes in the Luberon, Séguret in the Haut-Vaucluse and Venasque in the Comtat Venaissin. Only Lourmarin, but well worth the detour, extends in the plain at the foot of the Luberon.
The Dentelles de Montmirail, between vineyards and outdoor activities
The Dentelles de Montmirail attract the eye by their limestone cliffs whose summit seems to stretch its crenellated needles towards the Provençal sky. Nestled on a rocky slope, languishing at their feet, picturesque villages surrounded by vineyards, including the village of Gigondas and its famous wines ... The Dentelles de Montmirail is the region that gives the wines of the southern Côtes du Rhône their nobility: Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Beaumes-de-Venise, Sablet, Séguret, whose reputation has been exported all over the world. Here, the vineyard spreads on hillsides and plains, whose immensity is broken by these true crèche villages, which live to the rhythm of its ripening. Depending on the season, the landscape is bright green or golden brown. Les Dentelles also seduce by the variety of activities they offer: strolls in the villages, outdoor activities such as climbing, hiking, biking, mountain biking.
Lavender fields in Provence: the land of blue
Close your eyes, breathe ... You are in Provence! Provence lavender fields in bloom! It is in the heart of summer, from mid June to early August, that we see them waving like a blue meadow. Lavender spreads its scent mainly on the Pays de Sault at the foot of Mont Ventoux and in the Pays d'Apt in Luberon but also in the Enclave de Valréas. Tradition has it that one uses it to perfume the linen or the water of the bath. The lavender fields also give one of the most subtle honeys and you have to dare to discover it in the gastronomy. In summer, farmers and distilleries open their doors to you and invite you to visits with enchanting fragrance!
The Luberon, a region that has kept its authenticity
From forests to villages of character. It is also the home of artists from all over the world, who put their bags there "for a day, forever". The Luberon is above all a massif with lush vegetation, exceptional wildlife, which earned it to be Regional Nature Park, to discover along routes and circuits. It is also a land of wines, the homeland of "bories". Visit the Luberon is to stop at Gordes, Lourmarin, Ansouis or Lacoste, is to remain speechless in front of the ocher cliffs in Roussillon or Colorado Provençal ... The Luberon is also a land of artists where Albert Camus, Henri Bosco, Paul Signac, Louis Montagné, Camille Corot, Nicolas de Stael, François Nourrissier, and Jean Lacouture, Peter Mayle reside today. .