About provence
The MEDITERRANEAN, Marseilles, Cassis
DISCOVER OLIVE TREES in the footsteps of Van Gogh
LIFESTYLES: markets, food and wine
PROVENCAL TOWNS: Avignon or Aix en Provence?
DISCOVER OLIVE TREES in the footsteps of Van Gogh
The range of les Alpilles presents you with a very soft countryside with olive tree groves. This is the best area for olive oil in Provence. All year round, it's a pleasure to come accross the orchards but in November and December there is a very lively spectacle, the picking of olives and people going to the windmill.
Tasting the local speciality of "olives cassées" and the new olive oil is an unbelievable experience. Also vineyards add to the beauty of the countryside and invite you to taste the excellent Provencal wines!
That's in this area, not far from the quiet and charming little town of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, that the painter Van Gogh spent one year after his stay in Arles. He completed many of his major works there, being fascinated by the lansdcape, the light and the nuances of colours.
The mental institution of Saint-Paul-de-Mausole (former medieval priory) where he stayed is worh a visit.
The Southern part of the small mountain range harbours the village of les Baux-de-Provence. It offers a particular silhouette with the ruins of its castle on the top of a high cliff. Rock outcrops are present everywhere weathered into strange shapes.
The cobbled streets of les Baux-de-Provence bring you back to the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period when the village was Protestant. The history of this rebelious fortress destroyed under the order of the King of France unfolds as you walk around.