Provence in a Nutshell

During your 14-night stay, our 9 "Day Trips" into the countryside leave you 5 days to visit many other places in Avignon and Provence on your own, using the excellent train and local bus services. We help you choose those "extra" places. You can go as far west as Spain, in a day, and as far east as Italy. You can take a daytrip to Paris on the TGV and visit the Louvre.

Over the last 14 years we have put together a "tour experience" in Provence proper. Instead of being out in the country, where you might have a swimming pool, we have chosen an Olde Towne AVIGNON setting. Avignon dates back to Roman times. Besides the dramatic setting of living under the wing of the Palace of the Popes, our 15th C. Parish House is thick-walled, cool to the touch, a "home-away-from-home". It is nestled in a real Provence neighborhood. Unlike the countryside, the town of Avignon does not shut down at 7pm. It bustles, it buzzes with activity, its heartbeat is palpable. People walk their dogs. They smile in your face. The people who live in Avignon do so because they like the sense of community. Its a medieval village all grown up.

Outside its thick-walled Renaissance ramparts is the Rhone River . . . deep, heavy and massive, cutting its way to the sea. It flushes the city, and brings coolness in the summer, along with the Mistral breezes that waft down from the Mont Ventoux, where the Alps formally end. The locals retire to the streams and rivers in the summer, relaxing and bathing in a Cezanne landscape. Avignon used to be a canal-city. Fountains abounded, like in nearby Pernes-les-Fontaines, which we visit. The Roman wells inside the Parish House are testament to a city suffused with water.

Water is one of our main "themes", in explaining why this region of the world has been so ravaged by war. It has been envied for its water, its lush and verbant fields, its mild semi-tropical, breezy atmosphere. The remnants of Roman acqueducts permeate the landscape. In the spring, the aromas are overwhelming. In the summer it bursts with massive yellow-headed "tournesols" and pungent lavender, thyme, mint, all the petals that feed its ancient aromatherapy artisan culture.

We take 8 "Daytrips" into this wonderland. On the first daytrip, we take a "Walking Tour" of Avignon. Overlooking the ramparts of the city, as far as the eye can see, nearly to the sea itself, we scope out the Old Kingdom of Provence. This is not the "Cote d'Azur" version of Provence. This is the Real Thing, full of myths dating back to the druids, where Mary Magdalene found refuge, the Wars of Religion raged, where sorcerers and saints vied for the hearts of countless generations. The imprint of the Roman, and the Gauls, is forever etched here. Our tour is for those of you who want to learn, not just see.

The formal "Itinerary" is laid out in the "Parish Van Day Trips" button to your left. We are contractually bound to take you to those places. But we will try to talk you out of some of these places. We have better places, where they greet you with open arms, instead of squeezing you into "consuming" their tourist attraction. Run like a business, Provence can become insipid Disney clap-trap. Its the out-of-the-way places that make for an "experience" that you can take home. If you want the feel of a "safari", this is the tour for you. With only 8 people on board, we improvise constantly to fit the mood of the day. On our way to the Med, it starts to rain, we dart into a protected valley, where I show you a castle no one visits. Here I can tell you a story or two, like the jilted count who fed his wife her lover's heart. Or recite the lines of the minstrel's song to the Virgin Queen. You can't recount the history, the lore, the myth, and the ambiance of three thousand years of civilization by recitation. You have to weave a mood to explain what it was. Thats what we do at the Parish House.

At the end of the day, when the tour buses have disgorged their tourists into the big hotels, we remain behind, watch the sun go down, and listen to the pealing of the bells of the Abbey of Senanque. Thats when I tell you the story of the Cistercian monk, the Abbot Bernard, and his lumpy mattress.

The "Real Provence" can be covered north-to-south in about two hours: Thats if you just want to sightsee. Shaped like a diamond, touching the Mediterranean, it runs east from Nîmes to Apt and north along the Rhone Valley from Vaison-la-Romaine to Marseilles (see map). As Rome succumbed, the Roman Legionnaires colonized. The valley floor of the Luberon is dotted with entombed villas, mosaics, and ancient Roman roads. Some of the Roman bridges still remain, the site of great battles, some where as many as 100,000 fell in one hand-to-hand battle. The Gauls, the Celts, the Lombards, countless battles which would otherwise be forgotten but for the Medieval Libraries of Avignon. The despair of the Dark Ages, the light of the Reformation, and the excesses of its Renaissance, which preceded its Italian version.
Never underestimate the importance of LOCAL KNOWLEDGE to make this place "live" again, when you come and visit. More than half of our guests are people who have taken a large "maxibus" tour of Provence, or have self-driven, and come back because they KNOW that there is more to this than the mere eye can absorb. It is not sufficient to visit the ancient Glanic-Roman town of Glanum, as just one example, and not understand the battle of Pourrieres or the role of water sanctification in battle. You can get away with reading about VanGogh, because thanks to his brother Theo, his story is well-documented. But the stories of Cezanne are not. They are, like a lot of the charm of Provence, recounted in song, put to verse and handed down from the ancient troubadours. You can visit a mystical place, and "see" it, but local knowledge gives you "insight".

Six popes and painters like Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Picasso called Provence home. Romantics from Byron to Churchill to Petrarch roamed its hills. It has all the charm of Italy and Spain, but with the food, theater, and tradition of a Kingdom not yet lost. It has changed drastically in the last 20 years. Try to catch its essence before it is lost forever.

Within the allotted 14 days we will take 9 DayTrips encompassing 72 hours total (65% more than our nearest competitor), and leave you to explore on your own the other 5 "RestDays". You will be given a 24-Page "Local Knowledge Guide" to help you experience a guided, yet very independent, expanded, experience.

To the North of Avignon are the famous vineyards of the Côte du Rhone, nestled around Carpentras and Orange (Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas,Vacqueyras). The 9-passenger "Grand Luxe" Air-Conditioned Van takes us on a loosely-planned itinerary of liqueur, candy, olive oil, wine, perfume, chocolatier artisans and farmers' markets, punctuated by an inexpensive bistro "plat du jour", before moving on to a Roman or Medieval site.

Home Base is The Parish House, Avignon and its Palace. This is a sophisticated city, with a marvelous 19th C. Opera House and several museums a 10-minute walk from the front door. Here every day of the week there is a different market within easy walking distance, a city with a wide array of unrivaled restaurants at bargain prices. The PRIVATE GARDENS of the Popes, where you can feed the swans, are a 5-minute walk, via the secret stairs used by the Parish House's Carmelite "Sisters of StAnne". The bells of six of the nearly 100 churches peal at 8am. In the evening Watch the hawks and swallows play the wind currents along the walls of the palace. Only Two short blocks away, step into the excitement of Avignon, enjoy the street performers, its jazz bars, international film festival, cabarets and bistros. Relaxation, people-watching along the grand Boulevard de la République. "NO" you say, give me bucolic peace, the cicadas singing, the birds and bees? Then just walk across the river and in minutes be in the orchards and countryside of L'Isle de La Barthelasse.

To the West of Avignon, the famous rosés of Tavel, the magnificently preserved Amphitheatre at Nîmes, the Pont du Gard Roman acqueduct, famous hill towns, perched, white & gleaming... a climate not unlike Greece. We visit the Uzés market and its intimate medieval squares & renaissance architecture... showcased in the Depardieu film "Cyrano de Bergerac". The castle is worth seeing, it even has some stories straight out of The Song of Abelard, but you wouldn't know it because they do not give an English-speaking tour. This is true of EVERY site you are taken to . . . no English!. You can buy a book at most of them, but it won't tell you the juicy tales.

By the time you are through with Provence, you will be overtaxed with useless book information. And you will have lost that all-important "feel" for the place, the falling in love with a culture, instead buried in tracts, absent of romance.

To the East is the Lubéron, ochre cliffs, dramatic landscapes, castles, druid mounds, mountain streams, cozy inns, and a lost abbey nestled in massive cedars. Another quaint Renaissance village with a castle, another intriguing mystery story, literally a hidden Garden of Eden. Peter Mayle country. Petrarch still haunts the valley. Will you understand his love affair with Provence, and with Laure, if you are not quoted some of his poetry? There are places in this valley that extend into caverns practically untouched by time. We can take you there, where the locals go.

To the South, its the ancient marshes of the "Camargue", host to a Cajun-like culture of horses and bull jousts, of artists and passionate flamenco music played under starry brilliant twilight. It is here that Vincent expressed his most heated passions. Bathed in a sunlight without parallel, enveloped by centuries of Neolithic, Phoenician, Greek, Roman, and Catalan tradition... this is a unique, remote landscape. The "Da Vinci Code" uses some of the Camargue's religious lore. The bones of the ancients are testament to Mary Magdalene''s presence here. Sainte Sara was not her daughter, however. We can take you on interesting side trips that will illuminate the full measure of her relationship to Jesus. If you believe the oral tradition, it explains the evidence.

Do not believe everything you read about this mystical region of the world. Much of it is tourist-driven nonsense, repeated, plagiarized, and simplified drivel. Spend a half-day in your local bookstore getting educated on Provence before you sign up for the Parish House Tour. Then, quiz us via email if you're not already convinced. Let us tell you the "real" story. Unlike any other region in the world it is "deep," steeped in layers of history, legend, feuds, battles, drama, attitude, and mystery. It is sophistication and simplicity living side-by-side.

Arles, 25 minutes away, attracts a lot of tourists and has one absolutely wonderful museum. Aside from National Geographic Tours we are the only English explanation. Réattu: Picasso & Rousseau, Arles Antique: Roman, Arlaten: Old Provence, Centre VanGogh, and a quaint café-crammed square (Place du Forum) so filthy that I lead you through it holding your nose. It has a passable Roman Arena where Provence "Rodeos" will thrill you, if you plan one of your "DaysOff" with us. The gypsy culture of horsebreeding and bull-raising, with local aficionados converging on small villages for these unadvertised events, hosted by local horse and bullbreeders, makes this an event not to be missed. But Arles is not really the place to see these, trust me. I wait for the events at Beaucaire and Massillargues. There is not ONE tour who offers this insight into the culture, except us. No bull is harmed, just so you know. Like many of our daily sidetrips, these are places Americans seldom venture. The best ones depend on last-minute "word-of-mouth" information, since these events are intended as local get-togethers. They are AMAZED (and honored) when Americans show up.

This is not a "package" tour. For instance, we only go to certain sites if I am assured the very same morning that the eclectic old amateur-archaeologist part-time tour guide has shown up and will be there. Fortunately, the DayTrip choice is immense . . . because the depth of the culture is immense. By adopting a format that places the emphasis on immersion into the culture and the neighborhood, you see for yourself that the "events" are the "glue" upon which local life turns and thrives. These unadvertised events happen everyday of the week in any one of the three dozen villages surrounding Avignon. The village markets in Isle-sur-Sorgues, St. Remy, and Nimes let you explore the depth of artisan foodstuffs, each with their own brand of charm. The markets operate up until lunchtime which leaves the rest of the day to enjoy the town, which always has a castle, or a cultural or scenic something going on. Avignon is replete with markets (flower, antique, book fair, flea). Isle-sur-Sorgue, Aix en Provence, Arles, Villeneuve...all have their markets, on specified days of the week. We get you there on the right day.

SOUTH TO THE SEA: On our way there, Aix-en-Provence is a short 40 minutes away, and for us this is our chance to show you Cezanne, his precious mountain, his pristine workshop, the backroads to Picasso's hideaway, and perhaps even la StBaume, resting place of Mary Magdalene. The castle of the good King René, the last king of Provence, is 20 minutes away, a perfectly preserved Renaissance work of art, upon which the Bastille in Paris was modeled. Then, a magnificent overlook towards Marseille, the salt spray in your hair from an exciting Boat Ride into the Pirate Coves, followed by inexpensive original bouillabaise for as little as $20. As an option, we go to Marseille sometimes, for the Museums, the art, and the Count of Monte Christo's island prison. The average summer temperature is 90, in September 80.

Rest Days in Avignon: The site of the Palais des Papes (take the English language tour!) and the nearby Petit Palais (15th C. Italian painting and sculpture from the Palace), not to be missed. See original frescoes, tapestries, remarkable decorative floor tile, banquet rooms the size of Hollywood sets. This is life in the 13th Century, when The Plague devastated Avignon, a curse on its schismatic Papacy. Since The Parish House is only 100 feet behind the Palace, you can take your own shortcut, up La Rue des Escaliers StAnne directly into the Parc des Rochers des Doms, overlooking le Pont St Bénezet. This is the famous "Sur le Pont D'Avignon" bridge of nursery rhyme fame, from a shepherd's religious vision. From the Papal Gardens, our own "backyard", there is a panoramic view over Avignon, the Rhone River, and the vineyard-strewn countryside. See the bridge remains extending clear across the Rhone to the still-standing Tower of Philippe the Fair, who tried to join France to Provence, and failed. Visit Fort St Andre, then La Chartreuse, the extensively-preserved monastery in Villeneuve. Visit the Countess's manicured gardens next to the Fortress. In June and July, read the sea of posters advertising the many events that use these nearby sites to stage dance, plays, and operas!

Provence takes only a couple of hours to traverse, but it takes a lifetime to absorb. If you are going to see it, don't cheat yourself by hurrying through...take our "Best Buy" Two-Week Tour. We have plenty of room, and you can stay on for another two weeks if you like, to savor what you learned on your tour for a modest extra stipend.

For more information, please contact me at:
toursofprovence@aol.com