Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
This sturdy market town—literally, “Island on the Sorgue River”—sits within a split in its
crisp, happy little river. It's a workaday town, with a gritty charm that feels refreshingly
real after so many adorable villages. It's also one of the only smaller towns in this region
accessible by train and bus.
In Isle-sur-la-Sorgue—called the “Venice of Provence”—the Sorgue River's ex-
traordinarily clear andshallowflowdivideslikecells, producingwater,watereverywhere.
Theriverhaslongnourishedtheregion'seconomy.Today,antiqueshopspowerthetown's
economy—every other shop seems to sell some kind of antique. Although Isle-sur-la-
Sorgueisrenownedforitsmarketdays(SunandThu),it'sanotherwisepleasantlyaverage
townwithnoimportantsightsandasteadytrickleoftourism.It'scalmatnightanddeadon
Mondays.Navigate bythetown'ssplintered streams andninemossy
waterwheels
,which,
while still turning, power only memories of the town's wool and silk industries. At its
peak,Isle-sur-la-Sorguehad70waterwheels;inthe1800s,thetowncompetedwithAvign-
on as Provence's cloth-dyeing and textile center. Find
Le Bassin,
where the Sorgue River
