Overview: Provence
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Avignon
Encircled by 3 miles of ramparts and crenellated towers, Avignon, 66 miles northwest of Marseille, offers an enchanting combination of medieval alleyways, old stone houses, and chic shopping streets. A major religious centre during the Middle Ages, Avignon was the seat of power for seven popes who lived at the Palais des Papes within the walled city. The magnificent courtyard of this 14th-century palace is a major venue for theatrical performances during the world-famous Festival d'Avignon held every year from early July to early August. Hundreds of actors, dancers, musicians, and other artists stage performances all over town during the event.
Other notable sites include Musée du Petit Palais, a museum located in a former bishop's palace with an outstanding collection of Italian religious paintings from the 13th to the 16th century. The Musée Calvert offers archaeological items from prehistory to Roman times and a collection of paintings from the 16th to the 20th century, including works by Corot, Toulouse-Lautrec, Utrillo and Seurat.
Perhaps the city's most famous landmark is the Pont d-Bénezet, the remains of the 13th-century bridge that inspired the French nursery song "Sur le Pont d'Avignon". Four of the original 22 spans remain standing in the waters of the Rhone River.
The Camargue
The marshy delta at the western end of Provence where the Rhone River meets the Mediterranean Sea is call the Camargue. This vast area of wetlands and pastures is home to more than 400 bird species, including flocks of pink flamingos that nest during the summer near the Etang de Vaccarès and Etang du Fangassier. The area is also home to herds of cream-coloured horses and black bulls that are raised for the bullfighting events popular in the region. Much of the delta is protected land encompassed by the Parc Naturel Régional de Camargue, which has its main information centre at Pont de Gau just north of the seaside village of Stes-Marie-de-la-Mer.
Fréjus
Midway between Cannes and Saint-Tropez and 2 miles from Saint-Raphael, Fréjus, known for its Roman ruins, was colonised by Julius Caesar in 49 B.C. Among its ancient Roman monuments are a 1st-century Roman Amphitheatre, the remains of a theatre, and the Porte d'Orée, an arcade that was once part of the thermal baths. Housed in a beautiful 13th-century cloister built with columns from a Roman temple is the Musée Archéologigue, which features a 3rd-century mosaic depicting a leopard and marble statue of Hermes.
Gorges du Verdon
Carved out of a limestone plateau midway between Avignon and Nice is the largest canyon in Europe, the Gorges du Verdon. Motorists can enjoy views of the spectacular gorge on such roadways as the Corniche Sublime, which follows the southern rim and overlook points such as the Pont de l'Artuby, the highest bridge in Europe. The gorge also offers opportunities for hiking and white-water rafting. A tourist information centre for Gorges de Verdon activities is located in the nearby town of Castellane.
Orange
Among the outstanding Roman ruins in the small town of Orange, 16 miles north of Avignon, is the Théàtre Antique, which was built during the reign of Augustus Caesar in the 1st century and still has its stage wall intact. Equally remarkable is the Arc de Triomphe, a Roman triumphal arch with a magnificent frieze commemorating Julius Caesar's victory over the Gauls in 49 B.C. A delightful way to tour the town is to take one of the 54-seat tourist trams that depart frmo the theatre and go up to the Colline St-Eutrope for views of the sights below.
Roussillon
Perced high above the Fées Valley, the charming village of Roussillon, about 30 miles east of Avignon, is known for its distinctive ochre earth used for producing pottery glazes. The entire town is built of the reddish local stone, making it a dazzling sight among the deep green conifers and whitish hills. Visitors can enjoy the scene by walking the Sentier des Ocres, which winds through a lovely landscape around the town.
Saint-Tropez
A quaint seaside fishing village turned resort, about 50 miles southwest of Cannes that became a favoured haunt of Brigitte Bardot and jet-setters of the 1960s, Saint-Tropez still retains some of the charm that drew artists such as Pointillist Paul Signac many years earlier. Signac's work, along with that of Matisse, Dufy, Bonnard, and Derain, can be enjoyed at the Musée de l'Annonciade, a museuum devoted to modern art. The town's maritime history, including the Allied landings that took place here in 1944, is the subject of the Musée Naval. Just southeast of town are several superb beaches such as Place de Tahiti and Plage de Pampelonne.
Vaison-la-Romaine
This town, about 30 miles northeast of Avignon and known during Roman times as Vasio Vocontiorum, has large areas of Roman ruins comparable to Pompeii in the vivid illustration they give of ancient daily life. At a site called Fouilles de Puymin, visitors can see fresco-decorated villas, mosaics, and the ruins of a 1st-century theatre designed to seat 6,000 people. Artifacts from the site are displayed at the Musée Archéologique and include the silver bust of prominent citizens and status of the Emperor Hadrian and his wife, Sabina. More ancient houses and mosaics can be explored at another site, Fouilles de la Villasse.
