St Remy de Provence
Market day in St Remy takes place every Wednesday. If you’re in the area, I would highly recommend coming on a Wednesday but make sure to come early as the market gets crowded later in the morning. As for the produce, well, I think the photo below speaks for itself. Get some baguettes from the local bakery, dips and rillettes (or foie gras if you’re feeling decadent) from the market and you’ve got a brilliant picnic lunch.
Merry go round near the center of St Remy, near Hotel de Ville. Nope the Hotel de Ville isn’t a hotel – it’s a town hall so don’t rock up to the Hotel de Ville expecting accommodation!
Ancient 14th century walls have been incorporated into the old town of St Remy. About 1 km south of St Remy lie the Roman ruins of Glanum, an interesting place to visit for a few hours.
A creperie I found whilst wandering round the streets of St Remy. Never got a chance to try the food there unfortunately as there are so many places to eat in St Remy.
Roussillon
In contrast to the pale sandstone of other Provencal villages, the buildings in Roussillon are painted in bright, bold colours. The reason for this is that ochre has been mined here for a long time and is used to colour the buildings here. The souvenir shops in Roussillon also sell ochre paints and it is possible to go for an ‘ochre walk’ to see where the ochre comes from just a few hundred metres from the town centre.
Another ochre coloured building in Roussillon – from memory it is the town hall. The flag on the far left is the flag of Languedoc-Roussillon.
Gordes
Another steeply terraced town in Provence, the pale sandstone walls of Gordes are a mere 20 minute drive from Roussillon. Most visitors to Gordes are on their way to visit that abbey.
My take on Senanque Abbey, perhaps one of the most photographed sites in all of Provence. Make sure to come early, as parking runs out very quickly in peak season.
Moustiers Sainte Marie
Moustiers is perhaps one of the prettiest villages I visited in Provence, with a beautiful waterfall dividing both sides of the town. On a hillside behind the town there is a church from where you can see the Verdon Gorges.
The belltower at Moustiers Sainte Marie. If you keep heading down the road this photo was taken from, you can hike up to a hilltop church from where you can see the Verdon Gorges.
Valensole
A little grittier and less touristy than St Remy, Valensole is the place to be if you are interested in seeing the typical Provencal scenes of sunflower fields and rolling fields of lavender. The surrounding countryside is filled with flowers in summer and when the breeze is just right, the heady perfume of lavender drifts into town.
If you arrive in Valensole in mid-summer by way of the D6, expect to see scenes like the one below by the side of the road.
Another blue sky day in Valensole (which roughly translates as the Valley of the Sun). This sea of sunflowers stretched almost as far as the eye could see and was an easy 20 minute drive from the town centre.
A portrait of a sunflower taken in the field above.
Sunset on a lavender field. I believe this was taken beside the D6, which is a main road that leads into Valensole. There are numerous other lavender fields along the D6 on the other side of Valensole and also on the D8. Make sure to stop by the tourist office in Valensole for a complete map if you are in the area around lavender season (late june to mid july).
Wandering through the lavender fields was certainly the highlight of my time in Provence. Picture this: a warm breeze on your skin, the sweet scent of lavender wafting through the air, a symphony of bees surrounding you – welcome to another day in Provence.
