Around Vaison-la-Romaine: no cycling

October 26, 2011

WEATHER: beautifully sunny and warm

We awoke to completely sunny skies and a terrific view of Mt. Ventoux to the east. Excellent timing since we would have the whole day in photogenic Vaison-la-Romaine, and sunshine would provide good photo opportunities. A generous continental breakfast was served downstairs in an attractive room with stone walls and a vaulted brick ceiling. Les Tilleuls Elisée had been in the same family for more than a century; Elisée was the great-grandfather of the present owner, and he had planted les tilleuls (the linden trees) to shade the house.

Mont Ventoux was clearly visible to the east.

We decided to visit the medieval village in the morning and then spend the afternoon at the two sites of the Roman ruins. The walk in the sunshine through the newer part of town and across the 1st century AD Roman bridge was a real pleasure. The bridge is still used, even for car traffic, after surviving several floods over the centuries. We walked up through the very picturesque village, enjoying the large black-and-white photos of past residents displayed here and there along the way. Most of the old buildings are still in use, and many of the houses were built with stone taken from the Roman structures across the river, some as early as the 4th century AD, just after the fall of Rome. We walked to the top of the hill to get a close look at the ruined chateau and to take in the panoramic view of the valleys and vineyards below. We could see the beginning of our riverside route for tomorrow's ride.

The Roman bridge leading to the medieval village.

Looking up from the river at part of the medieval village.

One of the winding lanes in the medieval village. Large black and white photos of former residents have been placed on various walls and in nooks along the lanes.

Then it was back down the hill through the medieval village and across a newer bridge to an organic food co-op with attached cafe for lunch. We had a selection of salads and discovered that the cafe was not only organic, but vegan--definitely unusual in France in our experience.

Pleasantly fortified, we headed for the nearby Roman ruin sites and museum. We were glad that audioguides in English were available because the ruins are so extensive that it would be impossible to make sense of all the various buildings without detailed explanation. We followed the audioguide route through the theatre and the two separate sites for about three hours, past large houses with underfloor heat, public baths, latrines with running water, courtyards with pools, and shopping streets with covered pedestrian arcades, finishing up at the museum. By the end we had exercised our imaginations and learned a great deal more about life in France in Roman times. We were also extremely glad to be here during the off-season, as the empty bus parking lots indicated that Vaison would be uncomfortably crowded in the high season (and probably quite hot too).

This Roman shopping street looks like it must go straight under more recent buildings of Vaison-la-Romaine.

After a delightful and thought-provoking day in glorious warm sunshine, we dined on aubergine and lamb at the nearby Le Tournesol restaurant, feeling very fortunate to be here.

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