Provence around Camaret/Aigues
You are hardly likely to need a map for your outings in this pretty area of the Vaucluse The famous Mont Ventoux and the rocky outcrop of the Dentelles de Montmirail are constant landmarks on your travels. Wine routes wind in and out of the vineyards and pass through the most prestigious vineyards of world renown. In most villages winemakers,eager to share their passion for wine, will welcome you to tastings and in some cases will have on display traditional tools and equipment used in the tending and harvesting of the vines and in wine production. For example in Chateauneuf du Pape and Rasteau can be found museums of wine making equipment.
In Orange you can see the magnificent Roman Arc de Triomphe and the ancient amphitheatre where each summer there is an opera festival known as Les Choregies. In the museum in Orange you can see the immense Roman map in marble which covers all of the northern Vaucluse. If you are particularly interested in ancient culture you can visit Vaison La Romaine, and view the remains of the Roman town. Here also there is an annual festival of Choral music.
Or you may follow the roads of the medieval papacy, the Popes who fled the insecurity of the Roman court to found the Papal state of Avignon. Beyond the palace in Avignon (photo) and of course Chateauneuf du Pape, you will come across countless medieval villages such as our own Camaret.
Camaret/Aigues in Provence
Camaret is a typical small fortified village of the Provence. Here you may visit the old ramparts, the ancient town door know as the "Porte de l'Horloge" (classified as Historic Monument) as well as the 12th century Chapelle Saint Andéol.
Serignan and Jean Henri FABRE
Among the famous men of Provence, Jean Henri Fabre is one of the most charming. Naturalist and entomologist, his house and garden in the village of Serignan have been preserved as they were when he lived and worked there. Today the site, the "Harmas of Jean Henri Fabre" belongs to the Natural History Museum.
Here you will find his herbarium, his work table, his fossil collection. His botanical garden retains its wild character (in Provençal, "harmas" means uncultivated field). In the spring, it is a wonder, when all the wildflowers are in bloom.
Every year in April, the village of Serignan organizes a meeting of those who work with rare plants, and gardeners who wish to better understand and preserve our natural environment. Exhibitions, commercial shows, encounters and conferences, outings in the nearby hills help participants to discover the Mediterranean habitat, and the colors and scents of Provence, wildflowers, shrubs and herbs.