Provence & the French Riviera - Discover France: Experience the Best of France - page 650

The Luberon
The picture-perfect area that makes up the Luberon takes the shape of a rectangle on a
map. But navigating its bucolic rolling hills, golden-hued perched villages and hidden val-
leys is a bit like fitting together a jigsaw puzzle. The Luberon is named after its main
mountain range, which is split in the centre by the Combe de Lourmarin.
The region's capital, Apt , is a central hub for practicalities, but the heart of the Luberon
is in the tiny stone villages fanning out across the countryside, which encompasses a
1200-sq-km regional park, the Abbaye de Sénanque and ancient stone bories (dry-walled
huts).
Framed by fields of lavender in July, Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque ( 04 90 72
05 72; guided tour in French adult/child €7/3; tours by reservation) is apicture-postcard
Cistercian abbey 4km northwest of Gordes off the D177 in a magical valley. The abbey
was founded in 1148 and is inhabited by a few monks who celebrate mass at noon Tues-
day to Saturday, and 10am Sunday.

LANGUEDOC
Languedoc takes its name from langue d'oc (Occitan) , a language closely related
to Catalan and distinct from langue d'oïl, the forerunner of modern French spoken
to the north (the words oc and oïl meant 'yes' in their respective languages). The
plains of Bas-Languedoc boast all Languedoc's towns of consequence, its beaches,
rich Roman heritage and France's largest wine-producing area.

Nîmes
POP 146,500
Plough your way through the bleak, traffic-clogged outskirts of Nîmes to reach its
true heart, still beating where the Romans established their town more than two mil-
lennia ago. Here you'll find some of France's best-preserved classical buildings, to-
gether with a few stunning modern constructions as the city continues its centuries-
old rivalry with Montpellier, just along the autoroute.

Sights

LES ARÈNES Roman Arena