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PROVENCE
Thriving in this sun-baked landscape, the olive tree symbolises Provence. The mighty River Rhône marks its western boundary, emptying into the Mediterranean across the Camargue wetlands.
Wealth and ideas have flowed along this natural highway down the ages, with many cultures leaving their mark. Marseille, France's largest port, was founded by Greeks and lies on ancient trade routes. At Aix, Arles, St-Rémy-de-Provence and Orange impressive Roman remains survive and the papal influence is ever-present at Avignon and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Côte du Rhône vineyards abound. But it is the humble olive which has become synonymous with Provence. To the north, in the Drome, the olive capital of Nyons lies near attractive hill-walking country around the intriguing Forêt de Saou. The town is famous for refining the olive's precious oil into every product imaginable, while neighbouring Montélimar, in the Rhône Valley, made its name from a sweet confection of local almonds and nougat. West of the Rhône, the lime-stone Ardèche rises steeply. Here, villages cling to the rock, canoeists enjoy white water in the gorges and underground caverns invite exploration. South of Mont Ventoux's white profile lie Fontaine-de-Vaucluse with its astonishing spring, the artists' village of Gordes, red Roussillon and Apt capital of the Luberon regional park, whose lovely scenery and villages were immortalised by Peter Mayle in A Year in Provence. Eastwards, the rugged empty landscape rises towards the Verdon regional park and its breathtaking gorges. Not to be missed is the village of Moustiers-Ste-Marie and the spectacular viewpoints around about.
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