Valensole
The village is shaped like an amphitheatre and clings to the side of the hill like a swallows nest, sheltered from the Mistral.
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Valensole, land of lavender, almond trees and cereals
Valensole is a symphony of colour all year round : in March, almond blossom is highlighted against the backdrop of the snowy Alpine peaks ; in July, fields of blue lavender and golden corn sway in the breeze ; In November, ploughed land of multiple shades of ochre stands out against the stark winter sky.
Valensole lies in a fold of the plateau which bears its name, on the edge of the Parc Naturel Régional du Verdon. It offers all-year-round tranquil beauty and sunshine together with a peaceful, measured way of life. The village certainly lives up to its name which comes from the Latin words vallis and solis, meaning the Valley of the Sun ! The village is shaped like an amphitheatre and clings to the side of the hill like a swallows nest, sheltered from the Mistral. Through the centuries its ancient narrow streets have perpetuated the way of life typical of Haute-Provence.
Stroll through the network of tiny streets in the old town, steeped in centuries of history, to the church of Sainte-Maxime, originally built in the 13th century, then extended in the 16th century when the name of Saint-Blaise was added. Admire fountains and wash pools, doors and knockers, ramparts and the ‘ Fédération Clunisienne’ created to celebrate the millennium of Saint-Mayeul, 3rd Grand Abbot of Cluny, born in 910 at Valensole where he is honoured on Trinity Sunday in May. Covering almost 12,700 hectares, Valensole is one of the largest communes in France and is nicknamed the ‘Granary of the region’ in reference to the 800km² Plateau de Valensole, dedicated essentially to growing lavender and cereals.
To share their experience of growing, harvesting and distilling lavender, producers give guided tours of their farms, distilleries (which you can smell several kilometres away !) and farm shops stacked with perfume, soap and essential oils.
Speciality produce and the area around the Plateau de Valensole
Another attraction is the Musée de l'Abeille, devoted to bees, hives and bee-keeping equipment needed for honey production. There are also plenty of local speciality products like goat and ewe cheese, paté with lavender or almonds, olive oil, truffles and notably the delicately flavoured lavender honey which led to the Plateau de Valensole bcing classed as one of the 100 ‘Sites Remarquables du Goût’ in France.
Visit nearby Brunet, built on the side of a hill above the Plaine de l’Asse and surrounded by fields of lavender and cereals, olive groves and market gardens. Saint-Jurs, the highest village on the Plateau at 925 metres, has a rich heritage and five old gypsum quarries which were exploited during the 19th century. Riez-la-Romaine is built on the side of the Colline Sainte-Maxime, a hill overlooking the meeting point of three valleys which became thoroughfares at the start of the Roman Empire when Augustus founded the Colonia Julia Augusta Reiorum Appolinaris. Four granite columns surmounted by a carved architrave are all that remains of a temple built there in the 1st century A.D. on the ruins of Roman baths, and the 5th century baptistery is one of the rare early Christian buildings found in Provence.
"" I love travelling around the plateau, coloured with almond blossom or heavy with the scent of lavender, and going to admire the magnificent panorama from Poteau de Telle towards the Alps and the Luberon "". Delphine from the Gîtes de France office of Alpes de Haute-Provence.
How to get to Valensole
By road : autoroute A51, exit for Manosque, then RD6.
By train : to Manosque."
Our selection of accommodations
Lodging
Banon
in SAINT-MICHEL-L'OBSERVATOIRE - Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Lodging
Le P'tit Chamois
in CONDAMINE-CHATELARD (LA) - Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Lodging
Le Colombier
in MURE-ARGENS (LA) - Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
