Jewels of Provence

Visits to Gordes and the Senanque Abbey are the ones you can’t miss during your stay in Provence. But we invite you to leave the too busy tourist routes and discover them differently by taking some detours, from Côté Provence. GORDES After meandering through the terraces planted with olive trees, on a road surrounded by dry stone walls, appears Gordes, a perched village classified among the most beautiful of France, in the heart of the Luberon Regional Natural Park. The citadel is anchored on the heights of a rocky outcrop and backed onto the southern flank of the foothills of the Monts du Vaucluse, facing the Luberon mountains. Its castle, its church barred by imposing buttresses, the picturesque cobbled streets that wind through the large golden stone houses, give the village its character. And its postcard look under the rays of the setting sun! SENANQUE ABBEY “Notre Dame de Sénanque” Abbey, a 12th century monastery, is still inhabited by a community of Cistercian monks. The Abbey is listed as a historical monument. Its state of conservation, its Cistercian architecture and its location (coiled up in the superb valley of Sénancole, and surrounded by fields of lavender) make it a magical place, timeless, imbued with spirituality. Guided tours are possible in season (see the “Useful links” section below).