What you have to see in Provence during your trip ?
ADMIRE ASTOUNDING VILLAGES IN PROVENCE
The south of France, especially the region of Provence abounds a lot of towns, villages and spaces with their own particularities. It’s a region that is full of diverse and varied cultural influences where you see vestiges, astonishing landscapes and feel the provencal way of life. Here is a selection of few towns we love around Saint-Rémy-de-Provence that you have to see !
1. Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
The village defines a typically provencal way of life and overflows a rich past of pittoresque history. He marked by the old gallo-Roman architecture with the circular 14th century wall and the protective circle of buildings. Many restaurants, cafes, galleries along the little streets and squares will immerse you in a lovely historic centre. The village becomes more friendly than it is during market day, but also during many celebrations and festivals throughout the season. This wonderful place sunshines during all the year and propose at its foot a breathtaking landscape of the Massif des Alpilles. To go there, you will drive on road which is lined by plane trees that are lovely and give beautiful shade during the summer. In 1889, Vincent Van Gogh was a self-admitted patient at the Saint-Paul asylum. He made numerous paintings and drawings about Saint-Rémy which served as the setting for many of his most famous works. Saint-Paul de Mausole psychiatric institution, the Alpilles mountains and the village were part of his masterpieces.
2. Vaison-la-Romaine
This town is one of the jewel of roman Provence style and offers an incredible archaeological wealth of the gallo-roman and romanesque times. Merged between modern town and the ancient roman colony you will see luxurious, and elaborate Gallo Roman homes which had mosaics, marble, marquetry and statues, ponds, atriums.
You can walk through digs of Puyman and villasse and feel the energy of this glorious decade. Vaison-la-Romaine also refers to an intact medieval upper town with the vestiges of another time, especially with it picturesque castle in ruins.
Explore Vaison-la-Romaine with its little squares, ancient doorways, fountains, the facades of 16th and 18thc and the castle in Haut-Ville. Admire the outstanding view of Vaison and its surroundings.
3. Aix-en-Provence
We used to say that Aix-en-Povence is the cultural capital of Provence. The city represents Provencal way of life. It’s also the Cézanne city whose Aix campaign has inspired some of the greatest impressionist masterpieces. The city enjoys an exceptional geographical situation, you will be pleasantly surprised by the picturesque charm of the surrounding villages, and by the magnificent landscapes immortalized by the painters Cézanne, Picasso or Kandinski.
The beauty of Aix-en-Provence is discovered while strolling. During your walks around the famous Cours Mirabeau shaded by its vault of plane trees, you will admire numerous mansions and monuments – City Hall, Old Archbishop’s Palace, Cathedral Saint-Sauveur, Pavilion of Vendôme. The squares decorated with fountains are as many enchanting places to discover during your strolls. Furthermore, the city offers a lot of seasonal festivals of music, cinema, art highlighting its culture.
4. Avignon
City of history and theatre, Avignon does not leave indifferent. The passage of the Popes in Avignon marked its architecture in an impressive way. “city of the popes” with it impressing remparts, you will find le Palais des papes built in the XIV century, the famous pont d’Avignon, Le petit palais museums and palais du Roure. You will be bewitched by private courts and facades. Do not miss the Antiques district, the walkway that will leave you to Doms rock. Finally, Avignon is well known about it famous theatre festival in middle June to July with an inimitable ambiance.
5. L’isle sur Sorgue
Face the island city and you will have a breath-taken! Located next to the Vaucluse plateau in the plains of Comtat Venaissin, you will be amazed by nature’s green color and the several canals through the city. You will ramble along the canals, on littles bridges to cross and see great wheels and ancient streets to look. Just a little harder, the “partage des eaux” offers a spectacle where the river splits in two and forms a small pond with plane trees and green foliage abound. You can visit the collegiate church Notre Dame des Anges with its exceptional Baroque interior, and the 18th Century hospital pharmacy too. In addition, old mansions around the city have been transformed into art galleries like the famous Maison René Char with Miro, Mauguin, Dufy collections. Don’t miss the hosts antiques’ fairs at Easter and over the August 15th holiday when more than 500 antique dealers gather in the city to show their art work.
6. Arles and the Camargue
Arles, capital of the Camargue is well known for the double-millennial bloodsport tradition in the Roman arena. Hopefully, you can see the soft course camarguaise which man run trying escaping the bull in the arena. You can admire the Cathedral of Saint Trophime with it romanesque facade and the Place-du-Forum. Van Gogh had painted the Café-de-Nuit and still remains the same in Arles. It’s also a wild place where the marshes and the delta of the Camargue propose a vast diversity of birds like pink flamingos or white horses and black bulls. Additionally, The Saints-Maries-de-la-Mer is the cosy seaside resort of Camargue to spend a beautiful afternoon with Family. You can also discover wild beach like Piémançon beach next to Salins-de-Giraud.
7. Les Baux-de-Provences
Unique by its location on a rocky outcrop, Les Baux-de-Provence are classified as a Historic Monument and considered as one of the most beautiful villages in France. In Provençal, Bau means rocky escarpment and both the citadel and the cobbled streets seem to be at the top of this spur since the dawn of time offering a breathtaking panorama, in the heart of the Alpilles, all over the Camargue and the Provence. In any season, the sun plays with the rock masses to create a spectacle of shadows, lights and colors. The vines cling to the rock and about 12 estates and vine growers share the 370 hectares. The grass is loaded with wild herbs such as thyme, laurel, marjoram and lavender. The Baux are primarily a medieval site and 7 hectares in area to wander. Several historical monuments, the Brau tower, the Saint Blaise chapel, the Saracen tower, the windmill, the castle dungeon erect their imposing stones in permanent struggle against the winds. Between April and September you can enjoy the daily entertainment with the mime chilvalry duels and war machines that were installed.