Villagers On A Sunday Morning

Villagers walk their dog along the hilltop village streets on a Sunday morning.

Street Meets Gate in Village Wall

As you drive through the village on the narrow streets, you come to the ancient wall of the old village. This was a gate in the wall. It is obvious that the car will not fit through a gate made for donkeys and horses. And you have to back up all the way, because there is no place to turn around. These are some of the quaint surprises in the hilltop villages of Provence. In another place, the road changes abruptly into stairs.

Incredibly Old Grape Vine

The older that a grape vine is, the thicker it is. This old specimen has been pruned many many seasons and still is producing in a Provencale vineyard.

In a Provence Church Yard

I snapped the above picture in the church yard in the village of Roussillon.

Medieval Walls and Vine

This old rock wall abuts the wall of a hilltop village. A solitary grape vine grows against the ancient rock and doorway lintel. The mortar is made with ocher.

The Hameau

A hameau is French for hamlet. The way that many hameaus came into existence, is that a wealthy farmer would build a dwelling for his grown son and his wife. Also there would be a dwelling for the hired help. Over the generations, a mini village would arise with many dwellings. Hameaus are sought after dwellings these days, because they are usually surrounded by pastoral farm land and vines, even though the houses are close together.

A wonderful field of poppies is in front of this hameau.

Beautiful Wooden Door

A village house has an elegant wrought iron gate and a marvelous old wood door that adds charm to this residence.

Castle Turret

This turret wall is on the castle in the village of Gordes. What caught my eye, was the shooting port in the castle wall, where a defender could fire from.

Village House with Artistic Flair

An ocher village house displays an artistic flair with a bird motif.

Bucket of Rocks

This bucket of rocks was in the vineyard. Limestone rocks are spread on the ground at the base of grape vines to both reflect the light and hold the heat for the vines. This is an ancient technique that is still practiced.

The Portable Fish Market

On market day, the portable fish market shows up in small towns in Provence selling fresh fish probably hauled up from Marseille.

Mas With Attached Chapel

A provencale manor house or mas oftentimes had an attached chapel as this one has. The little outcropping from the building is the chapel.

Yellow Flowered Bush

I was in the country taking a late afternoon walk among the vineyards along a quiet road. I came upon these bushes growing wild, just ablaze with yellow flowers.

Doorway of Provence with Stone Mailbox

This beautiful doorway is typically French, narrow and tall with dark wood. The interesting item in the shot is the stone mailbox.

Hidden Living Spaces

Little patios, hidden nooks, flowers, doorways, bright shutters, and a barbecue are the hallmarks of these village house entrance ways.

Vine on a Rock Wall

A wild grape vine grows against an old rock wall.

Hilltop Village Tiers

Here is a schematic of the the village of Bonnieux showing how the tiers work on a hilltop village.

Almonds and Irises

Almonds ripen in the Provencale sun while irises grow along the line of almond trees.

Neat Narrow Shop

An incredibly narrow shop straddles the loop back street that goes down the mountain from the village.

The Butchery

A butchery displays it wares of pates in shop window along a narrow village street.

The Ubiquitous Iris

Irises everywhere, even in Van Gogh paintings.

Large Vineyard

A large vineyard spreads out in the sun beside neatly manicured topiary trees, while the majestic mas (manor house) reposes in the trees behind the fields of vines.

Garden Greenery

This bit of garden greenery caught my eye. This isn't one flower petal, but lots of colour in this planter.

Green Cherries

Cherries have a special place with me. We had a cherry tree in the backyard all of my growing up years. And part of the charm of Provence, is that there are cherry trees everywhere. It is one of my favourite fruits.

Cafe Row

A row of cafes and restaurants dots a village street near a garage. The menu includes plates of the day, costing 9 Euros. One of the menu choices is rabbit.

Iron Gate

An iron gate closes off the lower level egress to a village house. Village house built on hills have weird inner geometries such that a doorway like this could be a main entrance. It is part of the enchantment of the buildings in Provence.