The Roman Temple of Vernegues sits in a beautiful glade in the woods, northwest of Aix-en-Provence and just northwest of Lambesc. Most in ruins, but one tall Corinthian column remains, along with some walls and an adajcent Medieval chapel built into the temple walls.
Alleins is a fortified Medieval village with narrow old streets, picturesque doorways, castle ruins on top and windmills nearby. Alleins is located just north of Salon-de-Provence on the plains of the Durance, about 30 km northwest of Aix-en-Provence.
Mallemorte is new on Beyond, an interesting Medieval town with castle ruins and fortified defensive was a much more pleasant place than indicated by the 11th-century origin of its name, meaning bad-death.
The new bridge across the Durance was built beside the 19th-century suspension bridge, still there and the last of its kind intact across the river.
Mallemorte is located about 30 km northwest of Aix-en-Provence, just south of the Luberon mountain range.
Meyrargues, 15 km north of Aix-en-Provence, has been added to Beyond. A rather plain town, with a dominating castle and a Roman aqueduct, Meyrargues has a top-end hotel and good hikes in the nearby Forest of Peyrolles.
We've added Vauvenargues village and chateau to Beyond. A Medieval village 15 km east of Aix-en-Provence, on the northern side of the Montagne Sainte-Victoire, this was the penultimate home of Pablo Picasso, and his final destination.
Le Tholonet village, a favorite place of Cézanne, has been added to Beyond. This tiny village, 5 km east of Aix-en-Provence, has a 17th-century chateau, a 16th-century windmill tower, at sits at the foot of the Sainte-Victoire mountain. Cézanne did a lot of his painting in this area, and ate frequently in a restaurant in Le Tholonet.
Grillon is one of the four towns in the Pope's Enclave, a "bubble" of the Vaucluse isolated in the Drôme Provencal, once ruled by the Popes of Avignon.
The little fortified village of Grillon is perched on a bump of stone, surrounded by vineyards and farmlands. In the 18th century, gunpowder was manufactured in caves hollowed out beneath the village.
The Medieval village of Taulignan is online in Beyond. Located 25 km southeast of Montélimar, and just north of the Popes' Enclave of the Vaucluse, the village sits amidst lavender fields, vineyards and farmlands. Taulignan is a fortified, walled town, with much of the 13th-century walls and defensive towers still ringing and protecting the old village.
Taulignan was a trade-route town, and a passage point for early invaders as well as pilgrims on their way to Compostelle. The silk-spinning building that lead Taulignan's prosperity in the 19th century is still there - now a museum.
We've added the Medieval fortified village of Grignan to Beyond. Fortified since the 12th century, Grignan is walled around the Renaissance castle, Chateau de Grignan.
Our photo here is of the Sévigné Fountain, with the statue of the Marquise de Sévigné, made famous from the many letters she wrote.
Grignan is located in the southern Drôme (Drôme Provençal), near the Popes' Enclave with Richerenches and Valréas, and about 40 km north of Orange.
We've added a page for Saint Paul-Trois-Chateaux, a Medieval walled town in the Drôme departement, that will be a stage for the 2011 Tour-de-France cycling race.
The town has a lot of interesting sites, including some nice gargoyles on the 12th-century cathedral. Saint Paul-Trois-Chateaux was not named for "three castles", but probably as a bad translation of "Tri-castin", the name of the Pre-Roman tribe that resided in this area.
This is the region of truffles, and nearby towns include Bollène, Richerenches and Valréas.
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