Last
year around this time, we were traveling with our grandparents on an epic French road trip from Marseilles to Provence, St. Emilion and then back to Marseilles.
Once
we finally navigated our way out of Marseilles, we found the Provence countryside
exactly as pictured in one of Van Gogh’s paintings. We passed by rolling green hills, flowering
vines growing up all of the villas and fields of red poppies, lavender, wheat and
grape wines. The scenery was lovely!
Mazan
For
two days, we based ourselves at Auberge du Vin, a small bed and
breakfast located near the tiny village of Mazan that’s surrounded by grape
wines. Not only is the scenery perfect, but we were able to sightsee in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, visit the Sunday market
in L’Isle
sur la Sorgue and more. Auberge’s proprietor, Linda, organized a wine
tour for us, provided tons of helpful tips and kept us supplied with rosé by
the pool. What’s not to love!
In
the morning, I strolled through the countryside taking photos of the beautiful
landscapes. All this loveliness made me want to buy a château of my own and
move here immediately!
Gigondas
The
village of Gigondas has been making wine since the Roman times and its wine is
a good value in the Rhone Valley. If you like Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine,
then you’ll love wine from Gigondas and it’s often about half the price. The
village center is dominated by the 11th-century St. Catherine's Church and ruins
of some ancient fortifications.
Gordes
We
couldn’t miss stopping by the hilltop village of Gordes, which was once occupied
by the Roman empire and has castle walls dating to the 9th century.
I wish we would have had more time to explore this picturesque village!
Salon de Provence
On
the way to Mazan, we stopped for lunch at Salon de Provence, which is known as where Nostradamus spent
his last years and is buried here. The center of town is dominated by the Château
de l'Empéri, a 9th-century castle which was the residence
of the archbishops in Arles and the Holy Roman emperors. The castle, once was
the biggest in Provence during the 12th and 13th
centuries, and now hosts a military history museum.
Séguret
On
day 4 and 5 of our road trip, we stayed at Domaine de Cabasse
located at the foothills of the hilltop village of Séguret. This village of 800
is one of the official “most beautiful villages in France” (Plus Beaux Villages de France) Séguret
is a picturesque little village topped by the ruins of its feudal chateau and
surrounded by the Côte du Rhône vineyards, near the Dentelles de Montmirail
mountains. The narrow cobblestone streets of this medieval town made it
difficult for exploring with our grandparents. Instead, we relaxed at our hotel’s
pool and enjoyed visiting the Tuesday
market at Vaison-la-Romaine with a fellow blogging friend.
As
you can see, there’s so much to see and do in Provence. We barely scratched the
surface before we had to get back in the car and venture towards Bordeaux in
the search of wine for our 92-year-old grandfather.
Have you been to Provence? What villages
would you recommend that we visit next time?
0 comments:
Post a Comment