Provence

Albi Aix-en-Provence Arles Avignon Basque France Bayeux Biarritz Brest Brittany Bordeaux Camargue Carcassonne Cathedrals Chartres Cognac Colmar Giverny Langres Loire Valley Lourdes Marseilles Mont St. Michel Nice Nimes Normandy Paris Pont du Gard Provence Rouen Saone and Rhone Rivers St. Paul de Vence Strasbourg Vals les Bains Versailles

Elderhostel Les Baux the Luberon Tarascon St. Maries de la Mer Saint Remy Senanque

Provence

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Les Baux

 

hills of Provence

 

hill town of Les Baux

More Photos of Les Baux

 

cicadas, the good luck symbol of Provence

Provence, region, southeastern France, comprising the departments of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Var, and Bouches-du-Rhône and parts of the departments of Vaucluse and Alpes-Maritimes. Provence is bordered on the east by Italy, on the south by the Mediterranean Sea, and on the west by the Rhône River.

 

the flat lands of Provence

The area abounds with flower fields, vineyards, orchards, and olive and mulberry groves. Along the seacoast is the French Riviera and the ports of Marseille and Toulon. The modern inhabitants of Provence preserve a distinct regional character, as well as their own language.

 

City Hall, Aix-en-Provence

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City Hall, Arles

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More Photos from Arles 2013

 

Avignon bridge

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More Photos from Avignon 2013

 

Marseille harbor

More Photos from Marseille


The region originally formed part of a Roman province, Provincia Romana, constituted about 120 BC. It passed successively into the possession of several ancient Germanic peoples, the Visigoths, the Ostrogoths, and the Frankish kings. In AD879 the area was incorporated into the kingdom of Provence, sometimes call Cisjurane Burgundy, and in the 10th century into the kingdom of Arles. After being ruled by the house of Anjou from about 1245 to 1482, the region came into the possession of King Louis XI of France, and in 1486 it was annexed to the French Kingdom. Provence was a province of France until the French Revolution, after which the area was distributed among several departments.

Text from Microsoft Encarta

Gordes

the Luberon

 

a street in Tarascon

Tarascon

 

on the Mediterranean

Saintes Maries de la Mer

 

street in St Rémy

Saint Rémy

 

The Abbey of Senanque

Senanque

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Camargue

 

Cabanes, typical house in the Camargue

The Camargue is like its own little country. Once you're a few minutes south of Arles, you enter the atmosphere of the area, with its series of long, level roads criss-crossing the marshes and farmlands.

 

agricultural canal

The upper Camargue has been cultivated since the Middle Ages. The alluvium soil in the Rhône delta is excellent for crops, but must be prepared and maintained. The land has to be drained, and needs to be protected by low dikes. Salt content, which increases during summer evaporation, is reduced by washing down the soil. Rice cultivation is done on plots that are submerged from April to September, and harvested during September and October.

 

harvesting rice

Eagles, hawks and harriers soar in the blue skies and muskrats swim along the little canals, often making unsuccessful attempts to cross the roads. Black bulls and white horses graze in the fields, and lines of horseback riders file into the brush.

More Photos of Black Bulls and White Horses on a Mas

Elderhostel Les Baux the Luberon Tarascon St. Maries de la Mer Saint Remy Senanque

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Albi Aix-en-Provence Arles Avignon Basque France Bayeux Biarritz Brest Brittany Bordeaux Camargue Carcassonne Cathedrals Chartres Cognac Colmar Giverny Langres Loire Valley Lourdes Marseilles Mont St. Michel Nice Nimes Normandy Paris Pont du Gard Provence Rouen Saone and Rhone Rivers St. Paul de Vence Strasbourg Vals les Bains Versailles

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