Issue No. 15

A deserted village
From the flat fields rise sporadic pinnacles;
ancient villages clinging on like giant mole
hills dot the landscape. Valaurie is a quiet
medieval village keeping guard across the
vineyards and lavender fields along with its
neighbour Roussas. Both cling to a hill side
under the watch of their respective
chateaux. Both are unbelievably quiet and
hopelessly pretty with a distinct medieval
legacy.
In Roussas I decided to climb to the top to
explore the chateau which is not far from
an enormous church (enormous for the
size of the village). Roussas boasts a
population of about 350 all of whom were
notably absent on the day of my visit. I
wound my way around narrow cobbled
streets, up steps, around fortifications and
walls, and up more steps, catching
glimpses of the vineyards and lavender
fields below. There’s a flower tour you can
do around the village to discover different
roses and Mediterranean flowers, the
village specialises in honey plus a special
goats cheese called Foujou. I picked a
handful of small ripe figs, that were
bursting out of their skins with flavour and
ate them on a wall looking back out over
Drôme below. I didn’t see a single person.
I did reach the 12th century chateau which
sadly was all locked up, so I carried on my
meander around the narrow streets of the
village, discovering pretty little houses and
courtyards, stocking up on figs and
enjoying the warm September sunshine. By
the time I got back to my car, I’d been in
Roussas for some time and still not seen a
soul. This is a different side to the Provence
most of us know, as yet unspoilt by an
endless stream of tourists and I was almost
relieved to see a car in the distance.