Vaucluse     .    Description   .    History   .    Cities and villages   .    Map   .    Photo album

The precise whereabouts of the Vaucluse, and indeed of Provence can be very confusing for most non-French people. The word “Provence” sums up a lifestyle, a landscape, a climate but the word on its own has no administrative significance in France.

The south eastern corner of France, in which Provence lies is sometimes referred to as PACA or even the Côte d’Azur.

Provence consists of four main  “départements”: the Vaucluse, the Bouche du Rhône,  the Hautes-Alpes and the Alpes-Hautes-Provence. Adding the departments of the Var and the Alpes-Maritimes gives you the “region”, Provence Alpes Côtes d’Azur, or PACA, for short.

Driving from the north on the Autoroute du Soleil, around the area of Bollène you begin to notice the temperature rising. As the clouds drain away, to be replaced by glorious blue azur skies, you know you have entered the Vaucluse. Around 300 days of sunshine are enjoyed per year in the Vaucluse, so the likelihood of poor weather during your holiday is very small!

The Western border of the Vaucluse department follows the Rhône river between Bollène and the capital, Avignon. The “Parc Naturel du Luberon” lies just inside the southern border which follows the Durance river, The northern border with the Drôme department - which passes through Montbrun-les-Bains - includes l’Enclave des Pape, an area drenched in  vines and lavender,  that was once part of the Drôme until it was annexed by the Avignon Popes.

The northern Vaucluse is dominated by the famous Mont Ventoux and the spiky Dentelles de Montmirail. The plain of Carpentras lies at the foot of the Mont Ventoux and to the east, can be found the town of Sault which is surrounded by lavender fields and is adjacent to the beautiful and wild “Gorges de la Nesque”.  

The beauty of the Vaucluse was not lost on the Romans, or the feuding dukes of the middle ages or more latterly, the French Popes. As a result, the Vaucluse contains some of the most beautiful and well-preserved ancient monuments in France. The Romans left us the magnificent amphitheatres in Orange and Vaison-la-Romaine and also in Orange the Arc de Triomphe, the inspiration for Napoleon's Arc in Paris.  The fiefdoms of the middle ages were responsible for building many of the hill-top castles, and the magnificent town houses in all the major towns, including Carpentras, Avignon, Orange and Vaison-la-Romaine. The legacy of the Papal seat in France is the stunning Papal Palace of Avignon.

Further, because the historic monuments are so well preserved they can and still host a variety of cultural festivals, not least of which are the operatic and dance festivals at the Roman amphitheatres of Orange and Vaison and the Festival of Avignon centred on the Papal Palace.

In addition to its famous towns, the Vaucluse also boasts many historic small villages, some of which have been classified the most beautiful villages of France – for example, Gordes, Rousillon, Venasque, Séguret, Pernes les Fontaines and Crestet.  

But there is still more to the Vaucluse. The endless blue skies provide a stunning purity of light. This brings in to clear focus the many and varied colours of the sunflowers, the lavender, the vines, the olive trees, the orchards and the forests and, throughout history has attracted many famous painters such as van Gogh, Matisse, Gaughin and Picasso.

The magic of the Vaucluse is encapsulated in the smell of lavender, the taste of fresh strawberries, melons and cherries, the secret trading of truffles, the sound of the “cigales”, the vibration of the hot air, the twinkling of a thousand stars in the sky and the glinting of the sun in your wine glass.

Let us not forget (the French Popes certainly didn’t!) the vineyards that literally coat the landscape and the ancient caves that have been making wines for centuries. The magical “terroir” of the Vaucluse has given us world renowned wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape and from villages such as Gigondas, Vacqueyras and Beaume de-Venise that cling to the dramatic Dentelles de Montmarail hills.  

Convince yourself and dance on the “Pont d’Avignon”, climb the Mont Ventoux, trek through the “Gorges de la Nesque”, or wander through an old village and arrive at a sleepy square shaded by huge, old oak trees. Take a seat at the café, order a glass of wine and reflect on this joie de vivre.

Maybe you will decide to stay forever, just as we did!

Someone once wrote: « Si Dieu était Justice, il n’aurait juste donné the Provence aux Français »

A rather crass remark but actually, history shows that he or she was right. The Phoenicians established themselves in the Mediterranean area around 1000 B.C. They were followed by the Greeks who opened several trading posts along the coast with Massalia (Marseille) as it's capital. At this point in time Celtic tribes occupied the area inland from the coast which is now called Vaucluse.  

The Cavares established themselves in the triangle between Avignon, Orange and Cavaillon and the Voconces occupied the area around Vaison la Romaine. The Méminiens, who cultivated olives and grapes, inhabited the area around Carpentras and the levels East of Carpentras and South of the Mont Ventoux. These Celtic tribes had predilictions further South and constantly raided Marseille. Around 100 B.C the government in Marseille could take no more and looked to Rome for help against the raiding Celtic tribes.

The Romans moved in to drive out the Celtics and soon settled themselves around Aix en Provence which than became the capital of the Provincia Romania. It was at this point that the name Provence was born! They stayed until 450 A.D. but were then  themselves driven out by the Barbarians. The region which in this period was now Provence was restricted to the area on the left bank of the Rhône with Arles as capital. From the 7^th century on, Provence was under the supervision of the French king’s but there were always troubles - the Saracens, the Knights Templars, the Carolingians and several Counts alternately taking possession of Provence.

The rupture in the Catholic church during the 13th century signalled the start of the French Papal period. The Popes ruled in Provence and stayed in Avignon until 1481. This was an important period for Provence as the Popes developed a lot of the small villages and great number of historical monuments, such as the Palais du Pape and the Pont d’Avignon in Avignon. They also restored a number of the  Roman monuments such as the Théatre Antique and the Arc de Triomphe in Orange and those unearthed in Vaison la Romaine. Wine production was significantly increased to serve the Papal palates and those of their congregations! More details can be found in the description of the villages.  

Provence returned to the French after 1481 but the troubles picked up where they had left off before the Popes arrived – the Religious wars being the bloodiest - which were then followed in 1720 by a dreadful plague epidemic.  

The French revolution took place in 1789 and in 1904  Napoleon crowned himself  Emperor of France, which he remained until 1814. The First and Second World Wars took their toll on Provence just as upon every region of France.  Walking in and around the old villages of Provence you often see street signs and hill walks with the name Maquis. These remember the Second World War resistance fighters who launched attacks from there hiding places in the canyons, the hills and the woods of the region.

Today, visitors to Provence are of a more peaceful kind but you now know now that you are not the first!