Roussillon
The town of Rossillon is located in the Vaucluse department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region. The Roussillon area is noted for iuts large ochre deposits found in the clay that surrounds the town. The town sits on a reidge the red ochre cliffs.
Ochres are the pigments with colours ranging fromn yellow, orange and red. The pigments were used in paints. The large quarries of Roussillon were mined from the end of the 18th century until 1930. Thousands of people found work in the quarries and factories. Nowadays the mining of ochre is prohibited here, protecting the sites from complete destruction.
The red clays provide striking colours in the landscape. The red tones of the bricks and stone give the village a warm and inviting feel.
We fpund Roussillon to be a very charming town. It is said to have more restaurants per person than any other towns in the Luberon. We enjoyed our meals at the restaurant - L'Escalier, 26 rue Richard Casteau.
Our house was located in an hamlet, Les Huguets, about 3 km from the centre of town.
We were also luck as there are some lavender fields in this area that are with the "first blooming" group, that is blooming starts around June 10.
Roussillon - there are only a few streets in the town, with the centre having the clock tower.
photo: mytravellinglens.com
The town of Roussillon sites on stuynning red/orange ochre cliffs.
photo: mytravellinglens.com
» more photos at Recent Travels - Roussillon
Pont Julien
The Roman stone bridge built in 2 BC, Pont Julien, crosses the Calavon river, and was oart if the Roman road, Via Domita. The supporting columns are notable for openings that were built to allow floodwater to pass through the supporting columnns. Obviously a good idea as its was used for car traffic until 2005. Today you can still walk across the bridge, or ride your bike, and get a sense of history.
Bonnieux
This is a very small village on the list of the "Most Beautiful Villages in France". Sometimes we agree other times not so much, but th is is one scenic village. It has a wonderful mixture of small stone houses, castle walls and areas of natural rock as well as natural caves and troglodyte houses combine to make it a very charming place to visit Parking is available on the side of the village, from where it is easy to access both the village and the castle.
Saignon
I had heard that this town was very scenic, and as I drove up the hill to arrive at the historic centre, the scene was developing before my eyes. Plenty of narrows alleys to explore, a fountain here and there, charming houses - it all totalledup to a very enjoyable morning. You can tell by the doors when a town has had a history of grandure.
Of course, no cars can drive through the town. There is parking at a lot just below the historic centre.
Manosque
Because we were a little further east we travelled to the Valensole Plateau - the primary draw was to find and experience the massive lavender fields. But we found the town of Manosque to be a pleasant surprise.
Manoque: sqaure in front of the church within the all walled historic centre.
