Culture & Patrimony

Provence... the word itself calls up culture & patrimony... every rock, every stone, every plant, every tree, every river, every stream, the sea, the sky... even the sun is a celebration. Is it a state of mind of the men & women of this region ? Why have so many visitors returned from time to time either physically or in memory ? Is the sun or it's sunset really unique ? Is a July's field of lavender or the quietude of the cloisters of Saint-Trophime or the Abbey of Montmajour speaking in it silence ? You don't have to be one of the many native artists like Cézanne or the visiting Van Gogh, Gauguin or Picasso to appreciate the sites and sounds, the folklore and pageantry that are apart of the daily life as is the field of sunflowers or the February almond tree in flower or a garden with its parade of flowers unfolding with the seasons. Are the shouts of "Olé" at the bull fight or the "Bravos" of a concert in the 2000 year old Roman arena of Arles the moments that memories are made of ? Is it the howl of the famous "Mistral" that northern wind blowing down the Rhône Valley for three, six or nine days as the proverbs has it ? Will a thousand pages explain what a few moments will capture ? Is the Provence experience something you are born with or will you fall under its spell quickly during your first visit ?

Due to its long and varied history as well as the physical reminders bearing witness to its past we have attempted to divide some of the major but certainly not all of the monuments and categories into 5 sections either by historical period and/or subject matter. For your optimal visual comfort, it's best to have a minimum screen resolution of 800x600 (1024x768 recommended) when consulting these pages.