Following the ‘Route de la Lavande’ through Provence
The timing of our visit to Provence was to coincide with the lavender blooming. The peak day comes about July 1 every year.
The lavender plant is not native to France and horticulturists tell us that it’s not a particularly favorable place for them. Nevertheless, lavender flourishes all over Provence and is a valuable commodity. We stayed in two parts of Provence to get convenient access to different villages and lavender fields.
We followed the “Route de la Lavande,” which led us through charming villages. Given the beauty of the region with its lavender fields, wheat fields, abundant greenery and magnificent tiny villages, this drive was incredible. We stayed three days apiece in two villages.
On the first part of our adventure, we used Roussillon as a base. Roussillon is a hill town with amazing ochre-colored architecture and surroundings that provide stunning photographic opportunities. But the Senanque Abbey wasn’t nearly as charming as we had anticipated. The tours were conducted in French and the interior was as stark and plain as when it was built in the 12th century by the Cistercian monks. Other villages were absolutely lovely. Sault, with its nearby lavender fields (known as the Sault Plateau), was a lovely area with fields of purple lavender and rich green grass.
Venasque was small and quaint with friendly people and great views. Once a medieval village, it featured steep lanes, creamy stone houses and one of the oldest shrines in France, a magnificent baptistery from the 11th century, built on a