Hot Spots Of Provence

It isn't really possible to make a list of Provençal spots. Each hill, each village, each café is a spot of its own right. Knowing this, you can relax: it's not about seeing it all, but about being there.

That being said, I lined up a few places where you wouldn't hate to spend an afternoon.

THE LUBERON
The Lubéron is a small mountain range halfway between the Alps and the Mediterranean, largely wild and uninhabited. In fact, it has been classified as a biosphere reserve. On a map, the roads that border the range ressemble the shape of a smiling mouth. It would only take two hours to drive around but you could spend days roaming the small villages scattered within. Among them, Lourmarin, Ménerbes, Bonnieux, Cucuron and Lacoste, the home of the Marquis de Sade, whose name gave us the word "sadistic". This is the Provence made famous by the writer Peter Mayle. You can't go wrong seeking rest in its colorful and perfumed landscapes.

THE RIVIERA
The French call it Côte d'Azur. Though it is part of Provence, one doesn't think of it when one hears Provence mentioned because the coast is a world of its own. If you visit before June or after August, when vacationers from Edimburgh to Moscow turn the riviera into one big gridlock, you can have a pleasant drive along the coast. Near Cannes, you will pass the Estérel range, whose red hues remind of Santa Fe. Past Nice, you can dunk into Monaco, or drive onward into Italy.

MONTAGNE SAINTE VICTOIRE
Just east of Aix-en-Provence, Mount Sainte Victoire stands 3,000 feet high over the countryside. Its imposing colorful slopes inspired many of Cézanne's paintings. The Ste Victoire is a haven for local hikers and climbers. From the summit, you will will have a dominating view over much of Provence.

CALANQUES
Along the coast between Marseille and Cassis, impressive limestone cliffs plunge into the sea and rush into deep faults called the "calanques". They give a breather to Marseillais looking to reconnect with nature. Protected from the wind, the calanques' crystal blue waters are a paradise for swimmers and sunbathers. Most of of the calanques are only accessible on foot or by boat, so getting there is usually quite an adventure.

CAMARGUE
Have you heard about a type of salt called "sel de Camargue"? Camargue is the flat marshy region south of Arles, where the Rhone river runs into the Mediterranean. When you get there you may feel like you've arrived in a different country as Camargue is a cultural anomaly for France... It grows rice. It has marshes where bulls and horses run wild. It is home to the "guardians", France's very own breed of cowboys, noted for their colorful shirts and stylish leather boots. And, once a year, it hosts an incredible pilgrimage when the statue of Black Sarah, the patron saint of the Gypsies, is carried to be washed in the sea. If you take the drive to Saintes Maries de la Mer, you can usually organize a horse ride on the spot.

OTHER SPOTS
The best spots, of course, are those you will discover yourelf. Meanwhile, we can't leave you without at least dropping the names of a few stars on the touring circuit.

There are the cities: the great city of Marseille, with its old port and its Ste Baume mountain; Arles, with its arenas; Avignon, with its theatre festival and palace of the popes.

There are the villages: St Remy de Provence, home to French actress Brigitte Bardot; the Baux de Provence in the Alpilles hills, which gave its name to Bauxite; Gordes, where the tourist buses will let you know you're back on the tourist trail.

And there are the places to visit in the back country: the Senanques abbey, picture-perfect in its lavender fields; and the Mont Ventoux, braving the elements, bare, white, cold, a far landmark often glimpsed when you reach the top of a climb, so dear to many a hiker's heart.