Back in 40 B.C., this 12,000-seat theatre was one of the first phases of Arles’ urbanization. Then, it was one of the earliest free-standing theaters using newfangled radiating vaulted chambers and concentric galleries. The high rear wall was adorned with statues and columns, and the exterior wall had three levels of arcades. Now, only the […]
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Les Arènes, Arles, France
Arles has no shortage of Roman ruins, and the main attraction is the elliptical amphitheatre. Standing inside, taking it all in, I thought it was enormous, but it turns out it was only the 20th largest in the Roman world. Here, beginning in 70 A.D., gladiators, criminals and slaves encountered their end before 20,000 spectators. […]
Arles, France
We visited Arles during an overcast, rainy stretch, which was too bad since our favorite activity is just walking the streets. In wet weather, there’s more scurrying from Point A to Point B, and much of the city’s flavor gets lost. The two things that stuck out to me were Van Gogh and Roman ruins. […]
Les Baux-de-Provence, France
This fortified hilltop village is aptly named for its location; in Provençal, “bauç” is a rocky spur and Les Baux-de-Provence indeed sits on a limestone spur. The dramatic rocks caught my attention, so we parked the car on the main road and walked up the hill through olive groves and vineyards to get a better […]
Venasque, France
Welcome to the big town of Venasque! At 1,100 residents, this is the largest of the mountaintop villages we encountered in this corner of Vaucluse. While I was researching Venasque, I learned that it is one of the 126 Most Beautiful Villages in France. I’m not sure how special that designation is, but I can […]
La Roque-sur-Pernes, France
Like I was saying, at any turn along Provençal roads you could stumble upon a mountaintop village. We encountered La Roque-sur-Pernes, another tiny 400-resident town carved out of stone clinging to a rocky hillside, along D121. The first inhabitants date back to the Stone Age, as indicated by relics scattered throughout the area. Every vista […]
Le Beaucet, France
At any turn along twisting Provençal roads, you might encounter ooh-worthy remote villages set high on rocky hilltops, poking above olive groves, vineyards and forests. We came upon exactly that type of village set into the Vaucluse hills. Le Beaucet is a tiny, serene town of 400 residents built into rocky cliffs. We were curious […]
Moulin Coopératif de Mouriès, Mouriès, France
We spent a lot of time in Provence sampling and purchasing wine and olive oil. There’s an abundance of each at most every turn, so the key is doing research beforehand to identify those that sound most alluring. We read favorable things about olive oil cooperative Moulin Coopératif de Mouriès and wanted to check it […]
Domaine Michel et Stéphane Ogier, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France
In small wine villages, we spend a fair amount of time looking for wineries down remote roads and showing up at places that are supposed to be open but are not, even though we called ahead of time. Most of the chateaux are staffed by only one or two people (in many cases, the owners) […]
Bulles & Millesimes Wines, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France
We ducked into this basement wine shop because it is one of the few that sells some of the region’s best wines – Chateau Rayas, Chateau de Beaucastel and Clos des Papes. Think of it as a boutique that only carries a few high-end brands, only in a crumbling, dusty cave. The owner, Pierre, was […]
