Provence is truly an amazing place. Yes, you know it’s rural and you know they drink pastis in the afternoon to while away the time and you now you should go this year, especially if your first instinct is not to blurt out, “slackers!” upon hearing of the pastis thing.
What I’m going to show you below is my two favorite pictures of the natural bits of Provence. Essentially, they’re both Roman Bridge Pictures, one taken on the bridge and one taken from it.
Yes, it’s a fine life they’ve carved out in Provence. Want to hear more about it? I highly recommend William Widmaier’s book A Feast at the Beach. This memoir of life in Provence in the slower ’60s will make you want to experience it all before you’ve reached the end of the book, I’m telling you. And if you can’t, it has recipes so you can taste what you’re missing while you stir the pots in your very own kitchen.
By the way, the view you see up there is available to you simply by parking your car and standing on the Pont Julien (pictured) on a fall day. The lovely pont on the Calavon river stands between Roussillon on the north and Bonnieux to the south. Roussillon is known for its colorful ochre quarries, but the little village also features 7 restaurants! A short way away is the Marquis de Sade’s castle at Lacoste. You can go absolutely batty trying to visit this all in your car. There is beauty everywhere.
It’s a Roman-era bridge. They made it without mortar. It lasted.
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