Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Mont Ventoux and the Dentelles, it's well positioned for mountain sorties. Pope Clement
V had a second home here in the 14th century: his legacy remains in the Gothic-
Romanesque
Église St-Michel & St-Pierre
, constructed in 1309 on the site of an ancient
temple. The
tourist office
( 04 90 65 22 59;
http://villagemalaucene.free.fr
; place de la
Mairie; 9.15am-12.15pm & 2.30-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat)
stocks information
on Mont Ventoux but (surprisingly) not the Dentelles, and keeps erratic hours.
SAULT
POP 1285 / ELEV 800M
At the eastern end of the Mont Ventoux massif, drowsily charming Sault has incredible
summertime vistas over lavender fields. Young travellers risk boredom - better to bring
grandma. Visit
André Boyer
( 04 90 64 00 23; place de l'Europe)
for honey and al-
mond nougat, family-made since 1887. Sault's
tourist office
( 04 90 64 01 21;
www.saultenprovence.com
;
av de la Promenade; 9am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Sat)
, a
good resource for Ventoux and Gorges de la Nesque, has lists of artisanal lavender produ-
cers such as
GAEC Champelle
( 04 90 64 01 50;
www.gaec-champelle.fr
; rte de
Ventoux)
, a roadside farmstand northwest of town whose products include a great gift for
cooks: herbes de Provence-infused
fleur de sel
(gourmet salt).
GORGES DE LA NESQUE
Abutting the Forêt de Venasque (and connected via walking-trail GR91), the sheer-walled, 20km-long Gorges de la
Nesque is protected as a Unesco Biosphere Reserve. Other than driving or hiking, a novel means of exploring this
spectacular limestone canyon (or nearby Mont Ventoux) is alongside a donkey from
Les Ânes des Abeilles
( 04
90 64 01 52;
www.ane-et-rando.com/abeilles
/; Col des Abeilles; day/weekend costs from €45/80)
. Beasts carry up to
40kg (ie, small children or bags).
Carpentras & Around
POP 29,709
Carpentras is most inviting on Friday mornings when a massive market fills its streets.
Otherwise, it's a slightly down-market agricultural town, with a handful of architectural
