Aix-en-Provence & Lambesc route

Abbaye de Silvacane

Founded in 1144 by monks of the Cistercian order, the site for Silvacane was located next to the Durance Rivière in an area overgrown with reeds. A cave-dwelling group known as the Pontistes hermits lived in the high ridges to the south during the eleventh century and maintained the Chapelle of Ste-Anne de Goiron. There is some evidence that they founded Silvacane.

At the end of the twelfth century, two counts endowed the abbey with income property that allowed relative wealth for the monks. In 1289, the envious Benedictine monks of Montmajour Abbey near Arles attacked Silvacane and took the Cistercians hostage. After much negotiation (and probably payment of ransom), the Benedictines released the hostages.

Aix-en-Provence Cours Mirabeau view

 

After 123 (Before the Common Era) BCE, Romans started settling in the area around what is now the St-Sauveur Cathedral. In honor of Caius Sextus and numerous springs, the outpost named the village Aquae (the waters of) Sextiae. By the end of Roman domination late in the fourth century, the Roman colony levered its resources and spa to a privileged community at the crossroads of Italy, Spain, and on the paths of transhumance between the lowlands and mountains.

Then around 400 (Common Era) CE, the Archdiocese moved into the city. After the demise of the Roman colony in the fifth century, the Visigoths conquered Aix. During the following two centuries, thetown was constantly under attack by the Franks and the Lombards. It was a very unsettled time and many people escaped the town and settled elsewhere.

The Saracens finally captured Aix in 731, and experienced a calmer period as the area prospered. Aix became the capital of the country of Provence, but it remained static after its initial growth. The city did not begin to thrive again until the twelfth century, when it became an artistic hub under the control of Aragorn and Anjou. Provence became part of France in 1487. Louis XII sanctioned the Provence Parliament, which lasted until 1789. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, Aix was the administrative seat of Provence. Aix founded its university in 1409.

Cézanne’s Montagne St-Victoire

Born in 1839, this extraordinary painter and native of Aix-en-Provence, Paul Cézanne knew and stood shoulder to shoulder with Zola, Pissaro, Guillaumin, Oiler, Monet and Renoir. He studied at the Aix Municipal Drawing School, and in July 1858, failed the baccalaureate. Finally, on 12 November of 1858 he passed and received his certificate with the level assez bien (good enough). From November 1858 to August 1859, he diligently followed the drawing lessons of the municipal school.

Then in 1859, he entered the Aix Law faculty. From November 1859 to August 1860, Cézanne was still in the Municipal Drawing School, dreaming about becoming a painter.

He gave up law studies in 1861 and went to Paris where he found Zola and met Pissaro in the Swiss Academy; discouraged he returned to Aix and started working in his father’s bank while still studying in the Aix Municipal Drawing School.

He failed the Salon in 1864 and in 1865. And so it goes, but he was persistent; in 1882 he was accepted in the Salon for the only time in his career.

Cézanne bought property in 1901 on Chemin des Lauves (renamed Rue Paul Cézanne) that overlooks Aix to the south. During the following year, he had a studio constructed on les Lauves hill from his own plans.

For the next four years, the studio was the creative home of a new art, and Cézanne referred to himself as the “primitive.”On 22 October 1906, Cézanne died of pleurisy contracted while painting.

This atelier, a wood box at the edge of a bluff, has tall windows for the north light. It was from here, for a short time, he created great art. For those with vision and understanding—with perhaps an occasional and modest perception—these thoughts from Cézanne: “When the color is at its best, the shape looks better too. The contrasts and the resemblances in the colors, here is the secret of the drawing and of the shapes.” Not the tools (a spatula) or the techniques and structures taught in the Municipal Drawing School or the standards demanded by the Salon in Paris mattered. It was color, shape and his vision.

Entremont Oppidum

The narrative of the Entremont Oppidum stretches back to the early Iron Age, about 500 BCE. At that time, this important archeological site was a Celtic sanctuary. Scholars deduce this by the bas-relief céphaliformes (carvings of heroic-figure skulls, sheaves of wheat and snacks) in lintels. Over a period of 400 years, the populations became an agglomeration with the Ligurians, and were known as Salyens by chroniclers in the Greek outpost of Marseille. The population is estimated at 2,000 to 5,000. These Salyens were both and economic confederation and a military league. The Roman Caius Sextus captured the fortification in 123 BCE and controlled the Plain of Aix and the Arc Valley. Teutomalios, the Salyen emperor, abandoned Entremont with their allies and princes, and Sextus had the city destroyed.

The Oppidum is situated on a plateau overlooking the Arc Valley 200 meters below to the south. The first protective walls on the north were erected in about 175 BCE.

The settlement under investigation covers 3½ hectares, and has three-meter wide, unpaved streets. The interior of the town is arranged in 24-meter by 10½-meter blocks. A typical stone housing unit is 5½ meters by 3¼ meters. In August 2007, investigators had excavated 75 units. Researchers have also unearthed olive oil presses and a storage building capable of holding 3,000 liters.

 

Route map, profile and details of passing interest are in the Aix-en-Provence & Lambesc routeas part of “Provence Luberon & Lavender – a Bicycle Your France guidebook”, May 2011. Dreaming of a cycling vacation/holiday in France? I hope so. Even if you are not planning a trip to France, you may know someone who is, either cycling or motoring. Amazon and iTunes has seven guides of different areas that I crafted.

 

Provence: Luberon & Lavender: A Bicycle Your France Guidebook – http://www.amazon.com/Provence-Luberon-Lavender-Bicycle-Guidebook/dp/1468096923/

Bonnieux, Apt & Gordes route

Bonnieux

Around this route, you will see a number of medieval hilltop villages including Roussillon, Gordes, Goult, Lacoste and Bonnieux. Approaching Bonnieux from Goult, it reminds one of a birthday cake with layers of red tile roofs circling the old church atop the hill. Follow steps, cobblestone paths and Provençal facades, up past traces of twelfth century ramparts to the heights of the village above the market square at l’Eglise Haute (high church). From there you can view Mont Ventoux north across the Calavon Valley with lavender, vineyards and cherry trees. Close by to the northwest is the village of Lacoste; beyond it are Goult and Gordes. To the south is the Petit Luberon.

 

Apt

For several centuries, Apt has enjoyed the title of “capitale du fruit confit” (“capital of candied fruit”). Look for Napoleon cherries, apricots, figs, pears bianchetti, clementines and preserved plums plus crystallized exotic fruits such as pineapple from Ivory Coast, oranges from Sicily and citrons from Crete. These fast (not low-cost) calories may be found at several local confectionary shops plus the Saturday and Tuesday morning markets.

 

Roussillon

A legend says that Sermonde, wife of the Lord of Roussillon, fell in love with Guilhelm of Cabestang, a young troubadour. The jealous lord killed the lover with a dagger and served the lover’s heart to his wife in the form of a well prepared dish. Sermonde found it delicious, but on learning the truth she threw herself from the cliff. From then on, the color of the cliffs was blood red.

Built on top of the old ochre cliff quarries, the village seems almost illusionary for painters and photographers. The mixtures of oxides allow the ochre a broad range of colors, which can be seen in the landscape, on the front of its houses or trompe l’oeil painting on a portal.

Roussillon needs to be seen to appreciate its uniqueness. Observers note seventeen shades of ochre applied across the houses in the village, derived from the palette of the old ochre quarry nearby. Imagine the reds, yellows, oranges and pinks that merge one into the other as you roam the circling streets. Contrast these colors with the green of the pine trees or the Provençal blue sky against the red cliffs.

 

Gordes

This hilltop village is one of the more famous and expensive in Provence. On the approach and after the last steep bend of a road lined with stone walls, Gordes appears. The fortress castle and church dominate the typical houses welded to the rock. Stone alleyways slip between the high houses with many architectural surprises: vaults, antique doors, fountains, views of the valley and the Luberon.

Gordes was built with stone from the rock on which it sits. Because of its geographical location and its history, Romans to the Middle Ages, the Renaissance to the present day, not to mention the marks left by the Inquisition, Gordes has acquired a specific architecture.

The Château du Gordes existed in 1031, but the original was destroyed and then rebuilt in 1525. The austere architecture of the Middle Ages blends with the new lifestyle of the Renaissance. From the Renaissance, note the impressive chimney of the remarkable Salle d’Honneur (Hall of Honor).

 

Route map, profile and details of passing interest are in the Bonnieux, Apt & Gordes routeas part of “Provence Luberon & Lavender – a Bicycle Your France guidebook”, May 2011. Dreaming of a cycling vacation/holiday in France? I hope so. Even if you are not planning a trip to France, you may know someone who is, either cycling or motoring. Amazon and iTunes has seven guides of different areas that I crafted.

 

Provence: Luberon & Lavender: A Bicycle Your France Guidebook – http://www.amazon.com/Provence-Luberon-Lavender-Bicycle-Guidebook/dp/1468096923/

 

Loumarin, Lambesc & Pertuis route

Lourmarin Shops

Writers, such as Albert Camus (1913 – 1960) and Henri Bosco (1888 – 1976), claim Lourmarin as “the most charming village in Luberon.” The opinion is quite true, but there is a lot more to this village’s history, which seems to incorporate much of Provençal history.

In the ninth century there were two Benedictine monasteries, and in the tenth century, a village is established between them. It belonged to the country of Forcalquier and les Baux family. Sometime prior to the fourteenth century, Lourmarin was transferred to the country of Provence as part of a royal marriage. In 1385 the title, Lord of Lourmarin, appears.

Time goes on, as do the various wars.

Today, you may enjoy eleven restaurants including one of the few outside Paris with two Michelin stars. Also worth exploring is the local wine cooperative.

 

Pont Suspendu de Mallemort

This is the abandoned suspended bridge across the Durance Rivière looking toward the Chaînes des Côtes.

Many cobbled streets to investigate in Mallemort. North of the eighteenth century St-Michael’s church are the remains of the twelfth century château, formerly one of the Bishop of Marseille’s homes. There is a decent view from the bluffs behind the château of Pont Suspendu de Mallemort. This suspension bridge opened in 1848. It is 300 meters long with a 6-meter wide wooden deck.

 

Ansouis Château

The village grew up at the foot of a medieval château, the ancestral home of the family Sabran. In the Middle Ages Ansouis occupied a strategic position controlling the pass between Aptand Aix en Provence. The château overlooks this noted village of small alleys.

The parish of Ansouis appears in the texts in the late eleventh century. The current building cannot be dated exactly, but probably not older than the late thirteenth century, because it is backed inside by the first city wall, which served sealed in archers.

 

Canal de Marseille

This canal is a major source of drinking water for Marseille. Its length is 80 kilometers along the main channel. A significant achievement in nineteenth century engineering, combining bridges, tunnels, and reservoirs to create a canal over mountainous terrain. Fifteen years under construction, it opened on 8 July 1849. It remained Marseille’s sole water source until 1970, and still provides two-thirds of the city’s drinking water.

The route then clings to the hills, passes over La Roque-d’Anthéron and Charlecal, then turns to the south and enters a long tunnel under the west end of the Chaîne des Côtes.

 

Route map, profile and details of passing interest are in the Loumarin, Lambesc & Pertuis routeas part of “Provence Luberon & Lavender – a Bicycle Your France guidebook”, May 2011. Dreaming of a cycling vacation/holiday in France? I hope so. Even if you are not planning a trip to France, you may know someone who is, either cycling or motoring. Amazon and iTunes has seven guides of different areas that I crafted.

 

Provence: Luberon & Lavender: A Bicycle Your France Guidebook – http://www.amazon.com/Provence-Luberon-Lavender-Bicycle-Guidebook/dp/1468096923/

 

Fontaine-de-Vaucluse & L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue route

Sorgue Rivière from the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse

Approaching this natural phenomenon from the village you will finally see a ten meter diameter pit at the foot of a two hundred forty meter high vertical cliff. A river, the Sorgue, flows north from that pit. This is perhaps the largest natural flowing fountain in Europe.

Once the spring rate exceeds 22 cubic meters per second (m³/sec) [not when I was there], water flows over the lip of the pit into the channel. The source of this is rainwater that has seeped into an underground network covering 1,240 square kilometers under Mont Ventoux, Plateau de Vaucluse and Montagne de Lure. On a good day during a wet spring, the flow rate has reached 120m³/sec. The average flow is 630 million cubic meters per year. This volume could fill a supertanker with a two million barrel capacity once every 5½ hours.

 

 

L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue Center

An exceptional village.

The first installations identified in the land ownership registry and maps of Isle sur la Sorgue are those of a channel Arquet now located along the Rue Jean Théophilus. This channel was a natural branch of the Sorgue, which was then converted to install waterwheels—as many as seventeen. The first use of waterwheels was for water-powered feed and grain mills.

The many flocks of sheep in the area led to the development of the wool industry. Wool is not directly fit for use after shearing. The raw wool was placed in tanks filled with water and clay, and then struck by hammers operated by water-power. The Sorgue River, with its clean water and sufficient flow, proved ideal for this production. Also, at St-Nicolas-de-Lagnes, Fuller’s earth clay of unparalleled quality was available. This operation strengthens the wool and scours it.

 

Moulin St-Pierre

The first silk mill in Isle sur la Sorgue was recorded in 1763. It didn’t last long. The town supplied cocoons of silk but the conversion was then reserved by Avignon. Finally in the early nineteenth century, silk production evolved politically (probably the Revolution removed the church from the business) with the creation or conversion of eleven water-powered silk mills.

French army uniforms were red in the late nineteenth century. Red dye comes from a juice extracted from Madder, a plant that grows in Provence. The town’s converted Madder mills grew exponentially and became the capital for production of this dye.

The waterwheels were gradually abandoned in the twentieth century in favor of more efficient electric motors. The technology of the time did not allow these waterwheels to be converted into electricity generators. There were just too many mechanical losses.

 

Directing Pigeons & Ducks

One of my favorites from Provence. Mom was watching closely from just to the left here in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. Also, lots of canals, parks and old waterwheels in the village. A real jewel of France.

 

Route map, profile and details of passing interest are in the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse & L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue route as part of “Provence Luberon & Lavender – a Bicycle Your France guidebook”, May 2011. Dreaming of a cycling vacation/holiday in France? I hope so. Even if you are not planning a trip to France, you may know someone who is, either cycling or motoring. Amazon and iTunes has seven guides of different areas that I crafted.

 

Provence: Luberon & Lavender: A Bicycle Your France Guidebook – http://www.amazon.com/Provence-Luberon-Lavender-Bicycle-Guidebook/dp/1468096923/

Sault & Banon route

Lavender near Banon

Here is a village fastened to the Albion plateau between Montagne de Lure and Mont Ventoux, Banon has kept its historic character and remained natural. Bounded by lavender fields (still green here in the spring), wheat fields and hills, it is faintly aromatic of local aromatic herbs. The village has many bright colors.

 

Paëlla at Banon market

This is a fifteenth century fortified medieval site of old streets lined with sixteenth century residences, ancient doorways, sculptured lintels and gateways.

Of course, there is a market every week, and every village market has Paëlla.

 

Goats near Simiane-la-Rotonde

Many of the entities well remembered in Provence always seem to have a historical link that starts “since Roman times.” So it is with Banon à la feuille (leaf), an unpasteurized cheese made mostly from goat’s milk near Banon village. In size, it is circular and approximately 7 centimeters in diameter and 2½ centimeters high. This cheese is pungent, uncooked, unpressed and consists of a fine soft white pâte. The affinage (roughly, refining) period lasts for two weeks, following which it is dipped in eau de vie (brandy) and wrapped in chestnut leaves that have been softened and sterilized by boiling the leaves in a mixture of water and vinegar. Prior to shipping, the leaf-wrapped rounds are tied with raffia. Banon is at its best when made between spring and autumn (this excludes winter, and cycling isn’t good then either).

 

Simiane-la-Rotonde

The remains of a twelfth century rotunda is all that may be seen today of the château which once belonged to the noble Simiane-Agoult family. Overlooking the village from the top of its hill, this rotunda is like a large round keep with a large arched ceiling. The rotunda has been recently restored and a traditional music festival is held here every summer.

Simiane-la-Rotonde was a prosperous village in the past, and some grand residences can still be seen today. With the sixteenth century covered market place, stalls and boutiques, it is easy to visualize the lively trading that used to go on of this village.

For many years, Simiane was the regional capital of lavender and today remains an important production center.

 

Route map, profile and details of passing interest are in the Sault & Banon route as part of “Provence Luberon & Lavender – a Bicycle Your France guidebook”, May 2011. Dreaming of a cycling vacation/holiday in France? I hope so. Even if you are not planning a trip to France, you may know someone who is, either cycling or motoring. Amazon and iTunes has seven guides of different areas that I crafted.

Provence: Luberon & Lavender: A Bicycle Your France Guidebook – http://www.amazon.com/Provence-Luberon-Lavender-Bicycle-Guidebook/dp/1468096923/