VILLAGES
OF PROVENCE
Chateauneuf du Pape
A well-known Rhone wine region by wine lovers around the world,
this region covers more than 3,200 hectacres and produces over
110,000 hectolitres of wine per year.
Chateauneuf du Pape translates to ‘The Pope’s New
Castle’ and the region is entirely entwined with papal history
from 1308.
Lovers of Burgundy wines, the consecutive popes of the era promoted
wine-growing around Avignon (near the Pope’s Palace). The
unique combination of sandy, rocky limestone soil, long dry summers
with long hot daylight hours and the mistral wind contributed
to magnificent grape producing conditions.
Wines produced in this region are typically high in alcohol (13-15%),
are predominantly red in variety and age superbly.
A wine lover’s delight.
Pont du Gard
A UNESCO world heritage site, the Pont du Gard is a superb
example of an ancient Roman aquaduct bridge which crossed the
Gard River. It connected running water from Uzés to Nimes
over 50 kilometres. Constructed by the Romans in 1st Century AD
it is the second highest of all Roman aquaduct bridges and is
indicative of the great precision Roman engineers achieved with
simple technology. It is deemed on of France’s greatest
tourist attractions.
Les Baux de Provence
In a spectacular position in the Alpilles mountains, Les Baux
de Provence is set atop a rocky outcrop crowned with a ruined
castle overlooking the plains of the south.
Its name refers to its site ‘baou’ meaning rocky spur.
The village was named after the bauxite was discovered there in
1821.
Les Baux de Provence has been dated back to 6000BC because of
its defensive possibilities and was used as a fort through the
ages. The castle was demolished in 1632 as a result of an unsuccessful
protestant uprising against the powerful Cardinal Richelieu. It
is now given over to tourism.
Gordes
Located 38 kilometres from Avignon, Gordes is a beautiful
hillside village on a giant calcareous rock which dominates the
valley. Gordes was occupied in early history by the Roman Empire,
the Benedictine and Cistercian monks in the Middle Ages and became
a French royal provence in the Renaissance.
Like Lacoste, during World War 2 Gordes was an active French Resistance
stronghold.
This picturesque hillside village is surrounded by vineyards,
olive groves and almond trees and its main sites are the castle,
cellars, abbey, village centre and outlying dry stone huts at
the Village des Bories. Site of a number of films set in Provence,
in particular, A Good Life with Russell Crowe.
TOURS
IN PROVENCE - FRANCE
Great
Wines & Famous Sites
in Provence
