The six hour drive from sunny Provence to rainy northern Tuscany gave us a lot of time to contemplate what we liked about each place. Both tourist destinations have attracted artists to their unique landscapes, landscapes that aren't entirely natural but modified by humans in a manner to make the whole even more pleasing to the eye.
The ochre formations on the Rousillon Ochre Trail, for example, are the result not only of natural actions occurring in the past 100,000 years or so, but also of the recent mining and erosion that has sculpted the amazing formations you see on the left.
Provence holds claim to the unique quality of its light and the colors that have inspired artists and architects to work and experiment within its territory. I will do an entire photo gallery on the colors of Provence in the near future because they can be startling at times. If you open your eyes and mind, it can dazzle your sensibilities and if conditions are just right, you might get that feeling of truly seeing things for the first time. I filled an entire hard drive with pictures. Provence is an inspiring place for the visually oriented.
What's more, Provence has inspired artists of fairly recent vintage, creating a link from the recent past to the present. It's heartening to see artists move into beautiful towns abandoned because their defensive locations made them inconvenient for modern life. Artists and craftspeople vie with tourism in the fantastic old city of Oppède Le Vieux, breathing life into a place in a way that busloads of bored tourists never could. November was the perfect month to see this fabulous old city the way it wants to be seen. Pack a leather jacket and go.
Just a couple of travel notes and acknowledgments. First, if you're driving from southern France to Italy, stop at the last Aire or rest stop on the French Autoroute. The views to the sea are spectacular. The sandwiches suck. If you're hungry, wait and stop at an Autogrill in Italy where they put your panino in a real press instead of the microwave (!).
We stayed at an apartment on the edge of the old town of Lourmarin called La Petit Reve. The owners are very helpful and maintain a wealth of information on the Luberon and Provence in the apartment. They've also added helpful comments to these blog posts. The day trips we took were made infinitely easier following the accurate, hand-drawn maps and instructions provided by Bob and Sue Winn in their incredible Luberon and Provence Guide. Expensive, self-published guide, but very, very valuable to the passionate tourist who doesn't have time to drive in endless circles.
We didn't see a tenth of what Provence has to offer in our one week excursion. Give it time. A couple days isn't enough. Rent a place for a week or more. Trust me, you won't get bored.
For me, the true appeal of a place is determined when you're starting to pack up and thinking of moving on. When I'm not anxious to get home, that's the sign for me that a place has taken hold of me. The Luberon was just such a place.
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Provence Day by Day Index
- Day 1 - Lourmarin, Bonnieux, Saignon, Lacoste
- Day 2 - Cucuron, Menerbes, Oppède Le Vieux
- Day 3 - The Carmague (More on The Carmague)
- Day 4 - Roussillon and the Ocre Trail, Lacoste
- Day 5 - Loumarin, the Open-Air Market and Aioli
- Day 6 - Aix-en-Provence and Incompetent Waiters
- Day 7 - The Wrap: Seeing the Light
Resources
Provence Pictures illustrating these blogs
The Provence Post - Blog with news of Provence
The Luberon Experience - Cultural experience tours out of Bonnieux. Owner Kathy Wood recommends, "To find villages where few tourists go, head beyond Apt to the Grand Luberon. To the north of the N100 (now the D100) there are a number of villages (Caseneuve, St. Martin de Castillon, Reillane) with no
tourist shops, buses, busy markets...and perhaps not the same views, but beautiful and interesting
places where real people live."
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Disclaimers or lack of such: We paid full asking price for all meals and lodging on our trip to Provence. After all, you probably will, too.
Photos can be clicked so you can see them at a decent size. All photos © 2009 by James Martin, licensed to About.com