Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
VAUCLUSE
At the northern gates of Provence, the Vaucluse exudes a cultured air. Its
rich past - Roman inheritance in Orange, papal legacy in Avignon - is amp-
lified by summer festivals in both towns, while the perched villages of the
Luberon seem purpose-built for holiday homes. But the villages are not
perched by accident and Avignon's ramparts were not for show - defence
was the motive for both. On Mont Ventoux, the Monts de Vaucluse or re-
mote parts of the Luberon, you're in Provence at its most elemental.
1. VAISON-LA-ROMAINE
One of the best preserved Roman towns in Provence (for further details see
Vaison-
la-Romaine
)
.
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2. ABBAYE NOTRE-DAME DE SENANQUE
When the summer lavender flowers, this medieval abbey surrounded by purple fields
is a spectacular sight (for further details see
Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque
).
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3. MONT VENTOUX
The bald-headed “Giant of Provence” is the Vaucluse's greatest landmark, a vast pyr-
amid of rock which has inspired poets, mystics and botanists for centuries. Rising
1,900 m (6,300 ft), it commands the surrounding landscape, affording astonishing
views to the sea, the Alps and the Rhône. Snow-capped in winter, the summit is re-
vealed as arid chalk in summer and buffeted by strong winds all year round. The
lower slopes are dense with trees, 1,000 plant varieties and wildlife.
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