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Provence - the landscape with aroma of lavender and taste of fine wine |
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Written by jane69
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Wednesday, 10 August 2005 |
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Page 2 of 3  | | Pont du Gard |
Don’t miss Pont du Gard, 16 miles west from Avignon (near main road A9), which is listed in UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Pont du Gard is only the most spectacular and best preserved piece of engineering of ancient Romans. A magnificent 30 miles long aqueduct cross the River Gard, circumvents hills, goes underground and resurfaces again taking water from the source of the Eure River to Roman Nimes. Now the bridge exists about 984 ft long, 161 ft above of the river. You can walk across the bridge, but not up on the aqueduct level. Standing 161 feet high about Gard River is an unforgettable experience. You can dive in the crystal-clear water upstream or downstream of the bridge.
 | | Pont d'Arc in Ardeche Gorge |
Ardeche Gorge, north-west from Orange, is deep and magnificent gorge more than 25 mi long. The visit is breath taking. You'll walk the corridor of this gorge, feeling the heat outside disappear as you go deeper.  | | Ardeche Gorge |
It's never humid or cold though. And you will be surprise of a very well pure sounds and light show. Outside, you can rent a kayak and sail on the Ardeche River. Southern Ardeche is a place of pleasant journey where beautiful beaches make the joy of swimmers, fishers, amateurs of canoe-kayak. Rivers surrounding gave birth to an authentic natural spectacle: caves, swallow holes but also the gorges and the Pont d'Arc are as many natural and exceptional treasures. | | Gordes |
And now from Avignon take the road A 100 to the east to approach a typical Provencal countryside. The most notable village is Gordes (about 24 miles from Avignon), perched on the southern edge on Plateau de Vaucluse. The stone buildings and the 12th-century castle are built in tight against the base of the cliffs and those perched on the rocks above. The perfect harmony of the facades, which glows orange in the morning sun, and the terraced gardens seduced many artists such as Pol Mara and Marc Chagall. Gordes is also a popular summer residence for artists and media and film people from Paris. The view from the village is a southern panorama out across fields and forests and small perched villages to the Montagne du Luberon.
 | | Abbey Senanque |
Behind the village (to the north), small road D177 (or GR6 hiking trail) lead north into the rocks and valleys and forests of the Plateau de Vaucluse, with the picturesque Cistercian Abbey de Notre-Dame-de-Senanque (only 2.5 mi away), isolated in its little valley with sweet-smelling lavender fields.  | | Violet fields of lavendel |
Sitting at the bottom of a deep valley, abbey remains one of the purest examples of primitive Cistercian architecture. A community of Cistercian monks still lives here. The entire 12th century buildings (the abbey church, cloister, dormitory, chapterhouse and calefactory) are open for visitors. The entry fee and the sale of products in the Abbey store help to meet these costs. The monks cultivate lavender and produce honey to help finance the community.
 30 mi east to Avignon you find Apt, a fabulous market town. The beauty of Apt is the old town with few kilometers of streets packed with market stalls and lined with shops. The old town is centered around the 11th-century Cathedral,
 | | Ochre cliffs |
on what was once an island between two branches of the river. Two ancient towers, the 18th-century Bouquerie tower and the 16th-century Tour de l'Horloge, have lovely campaniles. Apt is the entrance to the biospheric reserve Luberon Regional Nature Park which is included the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Park is situated between the Alpes de Haute Provence and the Vaucluse plain, where the bold outline of the Luberon Mountain rises up. This part is the real Provence, full of character with mild climate, clean air; blue stretches of lavender, and incredible contrasts between rich natural environments, firstly the flamboyant and blinding colors of the cliffs of ochre. The fauna here is rich: beavers, wild boars, vultures, eagle owls, and eagles. | | Roussillon |
 | | Provencal Colorado |
Dazzling with colors in a shrine of lush vegetation, Roussillon (4.35 mi from Apt) is the jewel of the ochre massif between Ventoux and Luberon. Roussillon built its reputation on ochre. Created in the 18th century by Jean Astier, the ochre industry made the valley wealthy for several decades. Nowadays, ochre offers visitors the infinite delicacy of its many colors at the corner of each street. Near Roussillon you can walk between the ochre cliffs named also "Provencal Colorado".
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 03 November 2005 )
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