Summer 2023

Or see the village from a boat. The Grands
Bateaux de Provence enable you to discover
the most beautiful sights of Avignon and
Villeneuve-sur-Avignon from the Rhone river;
or, push the boat out on a discovery cruise that
includes lunch or dinner.
Orange
Take a 20-minute train ride to Orange and
then walk 1km to the city centre (or take a
bus from outside the station) to discover the
extraordinary Roman theatre, a UNESCO
World Heritage site.
Once the theatre hosted 10,000 Romans,
incredibly its famous wall still stands, one of
the best preserved in the world. Close by is a
majestic triumphal arch, and don’t miss the
Museum of Art and History, which houses
mosaics, cadastral maps, ancient remains and
artefacts. The town itself is enchanting, bijou
boutiques, bars and brasseries will tempt you
to linger.
Villeneuve-sur-Avignon © A Hocquel Vaucluse Tourism
Wine is part of the culture of Provence, and
in Chateauneuf-du-Pape life revolves around
the wine. The hilltop town rises like a ship
amongst a sea of grapevines, topped by the
ruins of a castle built by those 14th century
popes to be their summer holiday home. It was
the popes who first planted the vines here.
And they chose well. The terroir, that French
word that’s so hard to translate which refers
to the conditions the vines grow in, makes
for the most superb wines to this day. There’s
plenty of opportunity to taste them in the town
with a cellar or shop every few metres. Stroll
the historic street, climb the hill to the ruined
castle from which you have spectacular views
and walk the marked circuit from the village
through the vineyards.
As you might expect, it’s not easy to plonk a
train station and tracks down in the middle of
vineyards, so take a bus from Avignon to the
town, visit by bike which takes about an hour,
or take a tour (ask at Avignon tourist office
for details).
L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
Carpentras
It’s around 30 minutes by train from Avignon
to l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and the train station is
in the town so it’s a short walk to anywhere.
This former fishing village has a laid-back
charm, with water wheels along its canals,
pretty houses and fabulous shops. Its fame
is worldwide due to the many, many antique
shops and annual antique fairs. This town is
the number one antique centre of southern
France, and third in Europe.
Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, the source of the water
that feeds the canals and river in l’Isle-sur-la-
Sorgue, is close by and well worth a detour.
Take Zou line 21 (8 July to 31 August), or rent a
bike (7.5 km).
Chateauneuf du Pape
Provence is famous for its superb wines and
Chateauneuf-du-Pape is where some of the
finest wines in the world are produced.
View of Orange theatre from the top of the wall
Isle sur la Sorgue © Marianne Furnes
A 30-minute train ride brings you to
Carpentras at the foot of Mont Ventoux. This
small city has a rather exotic feel, almost
Roman with a jumble of terracotta roofs atop
the higgledy-piggledy houses. The Romans
were in fact here, and though there are few
remains, traces of the city’s ancient history is
everywhere you look.
In 1313 Pope Clement V took up residence in
Carpentras. His successor moved the Papal
Court to Avignon before it was re-established
decades later in Rome. Carpentras was the
capital of what’s known as Comtat-Venaissin,
territory which belonged at one time to
the Counts of Provence, at another to the
Catholic Church, and didn’t become French
until 1791.
One of the legacies of the French Popes in
Carpentras is the Synagogue, created in
1367. The Jewish community, expelled from
France, was welcomed into Papal territory.
18 | The Good Life France Chateauneuf du Pape © A Hocquel, Vaucluse Tourism
The Good Life France | 19