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Provence ? Provence ! |
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Dip into the fragrant smells, the soft colours and the warm light of Provence. Savour the South, to the song of the cicadas, over a glass of wine with friends, under the plane trees, after visiting the market. Not far from Avignon, in the heart of Provence, nestling on the south side of the Mont Ventoux, 400m above sea level, lies the tiny village of Flassan. Its ochre-coloured houses, bathed in the light of the setting sun, reflect tranquillity and peace. |
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As you look down from "Au pied du Ventoux" over the old centre of the village, with its romanesque steeple, a vast landscape of gentle hills and valleys opens up before you. Beneath your feet lie the plateaus of the Vaucluse and the Luberon. In the distance you can see the Rhone valley, with Avignon and the Palais des Papes. |
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The Mont Ventoux rises with its chalk-capped summit directly behind "Au pied du Ventoux". The hiking path GR 91, which leads directly to the peak via the Combe de Canaud, starts from here. If you want to climb it on a bike or in a car, take the road either to Bedoin, the starting point of a classic stage of the Tour de France, or to Sault, the lavender capital of Provence. Sealed roads from both these villages lead to the top of the 1907m-high mountain. Provence has so much to offer, and the distances are short ! |
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Wilderness The mountains: the Mont Ventoux, the Dentelles de Montmirail, the Alpilles, the Ste Baume The gorges: the Nesque, the Ardèche, the Verdon. The sea: the Camargue, the Calanques near Cassis, Bandol. Ancient history The Palais des Papes in Avignon, the Roman arenas of Arles and Nîmes, the Pont du Gard, the excavations at Vaison-la-Romaine and St-Rémy-de Provence. |
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Landscape artists: Cézanne at Aix-en Provence, Van Gogh at Arles, and many other contemporary painters whose work is on view in local galleries. Tradition: Markets in Provence, festivals, pilgrim routes, the ancient Provencal language, pastis sipped in cafes, and the game of boules Local delicacies: Ratatouille, soupe au pistou, daube, an enormous variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables, the famous wines of the Rhone valley or the many delicious wines made in the foothills of the Mont Ventoux |