From Roman Ruins to No!radamus

A day trip or two in the

The Alpilles are a stretch of rocky outcrops looking very much like the dorsal spine plates of a Stegosaurus, long extinct, now petrified and half exposed between the rivers Rhone and . This part of Provençe is home to more olive groves than vineyards.

There are many notable places to visit. There is Saint Rémy-de-Provençe, Saint Étienne-du Grès, Fontvieille, , Maussane-les-Alpilles, Eygalières and Les Baux-de- and all the interesting places in between. Think of it as a tour around the perimeter of a clock-face with Saint Rémy-de-Provençe at the 12 o’clock position and Mausane-les-Alpilles at 6 o’clock, with Les Baux-de-Provençe in the centre. You can start exploring from any one of them and to make things easy, here are the GPS co-ordinates for the main parking lot in any of them:

Saint Rémy-de-Provençe: 430 47' 17.92" N 40 49' 46.61" E Saint Étienne-du-Grès: 430 46' 54.27" N 40 43' 51.41" E Fontvieille: 430 43' 30.14" N 40 42' 32.77" E Paradou: 430 43' 08.24' N 40 46' 57.23" E Maussane-les-Alpilles: 430 43' 2302" N 40 48' 15.26" E Eygalières: 430 45' 39.20" N 40 56' 59.62" E Les Baux-de-Provence: 430 44' 45.27" N 40 47' 48.67" E

Saint Rémy-de-Provençe Michel de Nostredame, usually Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French apothecary and reputed seer who published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide. Born: December 14, 1503, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, he died: July 2, 1566, in Salon-de-Provence (which is also worth a visit). If you search very carefully through all his prophesies, the known as well as especially the unknown ones, you might find that he actually foresaw your visit at his birthplace on the very day that you will be there. Astonishing, to say the least! Saint Rémy’s core is the old part, almost circular in shape and the main(ring) road has one-way traffic going counter-clockwise. The parking lot indicated above is at the 7o’clock position. Shops and restaurants abound and the many narrow streets and alley-ways are a delight to explore. There are signs pointing to the home of Nostradamus.

Leaving the town on the D5 or the D5E, going south, you will soon see signs pointing to the ruins of the Roman city of Glanum. There is a parking lot on the right hand side of the road and a walkway on the left hand, leading to the entrance of the city. It is a most impressive sight and worth exploring at length.

Driving on, on the D5, will lead you up into the Alpilles and once over the crest of the range and down the other side to a branching of the road. You need to turn right on to the D27A, which will take you to Les Baux-de- Provençe.

The village, perched on top of a steep hill, is not accessible by car. There are parking lots at the foot of the ascent. Climbing the steep hill, you’ll find yourself in an old fortified hill-top town. All houses are very old stone dwellings and there is an impressive castle ruin at the very top. Artisanal shops, bakeries, restaurants and tourist traps abound. Close by are pits, where the ore needed to make aluminum was quarried. The name of the town gave the ore its name, bauxite. Aluminum was once so rare and so costly that a chalice made from it was a gift to the last French emperor, Napoleon III.

Continue on the D27 to Maussane-les-Alpilles. The parking lot indicated is a bit off the main street, but it always has spaces. Worth visiting is the church on the main square. Maussane is a typical village stretched out along its main street and very sleepy during the day. Not too many shops, but some lovely little restaurants.

You might want to leave the village in the direction of Paradou. Then follow the main road (D78E) in the direction of Fontvieille. This road leads through vast groves of olive trees and after a dog-leg to the right and then the left and a further few kilometers you are encouraged to stop and admire the aqueduct and the mill race of the Mills of Barbegal, a large Roman industrial site from the 2nd century C.E. There is no designated parking space as such and the road is a bit narrow. It would be wise to park as close to the edge of the hedges as possible. There are small walking paths along the ruins, leading from the road down through rocky terrain along the many steps and ledges of the former mill race.

Shortly after the Roman mill, you’ll come to the intersection with the D33. Here you should turn right and follow the road in the direction of Fontvieille. You may have heard of Alphonse Daudet, the French novelist and short-story writer. If you scan the mountain side to your right, you’ll see the entrance to the area where there is the windmill he used as a backdrop for his “lettres de mon moulin”. Mind you, he wrote it in Clamart, which is near Paris, but the connection is interesting. After a stroll through Fontvieille, you might want to continue. Drive on the D33 in the direction of Saint Gabriel and then on the D32 in the direction of Saint Étienne-du-Grès and eventually back to Saint Rémy-de- Provençe.

Or head to Eygalières.: Leaving Saint Rémy on the D99, driving in an easterly direction, in the neighbourhood of La Galine, you could see gliders soaring in the sky above you. Not surprising, because there is a large glider airfield to your right close to the where the Alpilles are rising from the plain. Le Mazet de Romanin. The pilots use the updraft to gain height. Continue on the D99, watching the road, not the sky, until you see one of two roads branching off to the right. The first one is the D24 and the second one is the D74A. Both lead in the direction of Eygalières.

Park the car in the lot shown on the GPS. Wander up the hill on the main street and pay a visit to the old church on the crest. La Chapelle des Pénitents. Notice the roof of the side aisles, which is made from huge slabs of the local stone, no Provençal tiles for this part of the building. There is a castle ruin further up. Go have a look and admire the view over the plain at the foot of the Alpilles.

As you wander up through the street, you’ll see a couple of ruined houses on your right. The walls are there, but there is no roof and there are no floors. Prime real estate, you think and perhaps you could purchase and build your dream French Vacation Villa (which can be rented out profitably through the owners of this website!). Not a chance! This is the result of the French laws of inheritance, which sometimes create situations where families cannot agree on the division of an estate and consequently many lawyers make a lot of money trying to “settle” the estate until there are no more Euros left in the kitty and all action is dropped. Ergo the abandoned ruins.

There are several very good restaurants on the main square, which in this case is actually triangular. The main street up the hill changes its names as you progress. Starting out as “rue de la République” is then becomes the “rue Docteur Roque’, ending up as “rue Portail de Laure”. Many other streets are names after prominent French men, such as the Avenue de Général de Gaulle, another is the avenue Léon Blum, leading into the Avenue Jean Jaurés. Curiously absent is one called “Avenue Jean Moulin”. There is a Jean Moulin street or avenue in almost all the villages. Jean Moulin was THE Provençal resistance hero and his memory is cherished to this day. Also curiously absent are streets named after French women.

One idea on leaving Eygalières would be to drive in an easterly direction on the D24B in the direction of Plan d’. It is a lovely drive with very little traffic, through olive groves and pine forests. Then drive on the D7N to Orgon and on to Salon de Provençe to pay a visit to the soap factory of Marius Fabre and its very interesting museum. There is a very large parking lot at: 430 38' 17.24" N50 05' 41.131 E.

The Marius Fabre museum is about 15 minutes walking away from the parking lot at: 430 38' 15.98 N 50 05' 25.11" E The address is: 148 Avenue Paul Bourret. The museum is closed on Sundays. No visit to Salon-de-Provence is complete without seeing the “Mossy Tree”, a most unique natural wonder. You’ll find it at the northern edge of the old town, where the Cours Carnot and Cours Victor Hugo meet. Again about ten to fifteen minutes walking form the parking lot.

For a memorable meal, wander along the Cours Victor Hugo to the street after next, which is the rue Maréchal Joffre. You do this because you have made a reservation at the “La salle a manger”, the premier restaurant in Salon-de-Provence. The number is: 04-90-56-28-01 and the address is; 6 rue Maréchal Joffre.

Enjoy!