St. -Remy-de -Provence, where to stay and what to do while on vacation

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candied fruits, Chateau des Alpilles, Domaine de Valmouriane, Lilamand, St Paul de Mausole Monastery, St Remy

Le Domaine de Valmouriane

Is the best game in town. The grounds are truly beautiful, the exterior is perfect , and the 14 rooms are well decorated in rustic style – Although some are better than others. If you stay there go with Pagnol , it has very beautiful wood ceiling beams, a decorative white stone fireplace, and a few local antiques. Petite rue des Baux, Les baux de Provence. Phone number is : 4-90-92-44-62, the Fax # is 4-90-92-37-32

Le Chateau des Alpilles…

Le Domaine de Valmouriane

The former Chapel at Le chateau des Alpilles converted farmhouses with very cozy rooms

St Paul de Mausole monastery

St Paul de Mausole Monastery where Van Gogh resided afetr cutting his ear

Le Chateau des Alpilles

Built in the 19th-century in St- Remy, the chateau belongs to a prominent Arles family. Service standards and cuisine rate highly, and the rooms in the castle, the former chapel and adjoining converted farmhouses are very cozy. http://www.chateaudesalpilles.com

St-Paul de Mausole monastery

Is a place to visit if you like art and history.Van Gogh’s presence is felt here, he resided from 1889 to 1890 and produced more than 150 paintings. He convalesced after cutting his ear in Avignon. Some of his canvases were painted here, because from the window of the cell you can still see the fields – the very landscape that appears in so many of his work. Alle St-Paul , off Avenue Van Gogh.

Make a stop at Lilamand

If you have a sweet tooth you will enjoy the fine candied fruits; they are the specialty of Lilamand. 5 Avenue Albert Schweitzer,St Remy.

Lilamand Confiseur

Candied fruits at Lilamand

Anne Suire

http://www.luxurytravelconsultant2.com Fall Provence Tours/ thanksgiving 2015

from the window

from the window of his cell

The Perfect Trip to Provence

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Apt, Bastide de Capelongue, Bonnieux, candied fruits, market, Provencal cooking, Truffles

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The South of France is a vision as much as it is a place – of a coast that inspired …

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Hiking, the best way to discover the Vaucluse and the Luberon/ Part 2

Tags

Apt, auberge du Luberon, candied fruits, Christian, hiking, Roman, Saignon, Truffles

Hike from Apt to Saignon

Apt‘s history goes back to Roman times when it was a prosperous ancient city. Remnants of its days as a Christian bishopric are also visible  in its gorgeous 11th-century Saint-Anne Cathedral. Today  the town is loved for its candied fruits, jams, lavender essence and truffles and a very colorful market that teems with Provencal produce on Saturday mornings. When you arrive in Apt park your car in the cours Lauze-de-Perret car park in the east of town,and then you are ready to set out on your hike. On foot your will have to take D48 and walk along until you see the Auriane track on the left, you will then head left and cross the bridge over the Rimayon river. As the road sweeps left you will have to keep walking straight along the path that climbs the hill, then bear left and and follow a tarmac path for ( 164ft) until you eventually get to the Ginestiere crossroads. Once you get there stay to your right and follow the D174 to get to the village entrance, which leads to the pretty place de la Fontaine.

Saignon is not very well known by tourists. If you go there visit the Prieure and Farm built in the middle ages on a Gallo- Roman site and continued to expand until the 19th-century. The church contains Medieval frescoes , and the excavations of a first-century villa are seen through a grill in the floor. Exhibitions are staged in the farm while the gardens are devoted to historic and scented plants. To get to Saignon, make a turn left on Rue du Bourget and walk about ( 330 ft) until you reach a cobbled path, on your left that leads to kind of a square in the parking lot. At the bottom of the car park, you will find a path winding around the village’s ramparts. After the last house take a deep breath and climb the steps to the main castle ruins and marvel at the vistas from the lookout point. Then go back down the ramparts before going left and joining the D174. From place de la Fontaine backtrack to the Ginistere crossroads, and turn right. After the bend, keeping Tourel (a settlement) on your left, take the short cut at the next bend and continue straight for (650 ft). At the next bend turn left along a dirt track and head straight through an oak forest and then a residential area. Continue straight , and then cross the old N100, using the steps to join the cycle path. You will have to keep going over the Cavalon River and then head up a ramp on the right to follow the D22 back to Apt. Finish your hike with a hearty French meal at Auberge du Luberon http://francemarket.com/auberge-luberon, located in a century- old  building in the city’s historic center.

Luberon, Provence.