Aix-en Provence
This little town is well-known as being the residence of artist Cezanne and also for its a lot of fountains. The greatest and most well recognized fountain can be discovered on the Cours Mirabeau. Bell towers also feature in the town along with numerous intriguing buildings from the 16th, 17th and 18th century.
Check out the flower marketplace at the Place de l’Hotel de Ville and of course some culinary delights can be had at the food marketplace at Place Richelme.
Avignon
Situated on the banks of the Rhone River, Avignon is residence to the Papal Palace. The Palace was built in the 14th century after the Popes left Rome. Seven Popes lived in the Palace between 1305 and 1378. Also nearby is Le Pont Saint-Benezet, a ruined bridge supposedly built by a local Shepard.
The town has a lot of museums, a belfry dating back to the 14th century and Notre Dame des Dommes (Romanesque building constructed mostly throughout the 12th century). The cathedral contains the mausoleum of Pope John XXII.
Briancon
To cyclists, Briancon is a familiar town on the Tour de France cycling race. Featured no much less than 22 times as a beginning point for a stage of the tour, it has also been a stage finish 22 times. Briancon is a preferred base for skiers throughout the winter season, and has produced some of the most beneficial ski racers in the world.
Last year the city walls, Redoute des Salettes, Fort des Trois-Têtes, Fort du Randouillet, ouvrage de la communication Y and the Asfeld Bridge in Briancon had been classed as World Heritage Web-sites.
Gordes
Gordes comes from the celtic word Vordense. This mountain village was an active resistance village throughout the 2nd World War and received the Croix de Guerre (1939 – 1945).
The main tourist attraction in the town is a castle which was re-built in Renaissance fashion in 1525. An fascinating reality to note about Gordes is that all the buildings are made of stone and have terracotta roof tiles. Electric and phone cables are all underground, and the streets are paved with stones.
Nearby tourist attractions consist of Village des Boires and the Romanesque styled Sénanque Abbey.
Draguignan
Draguignan began out as a Roman fort built on a hill. On that really exact same hill these days you will see a 17th century clock tower. Draguignan gets its name from draco, the latin word for dragon. Legend has it that the dragon frightened the lives out of pilgrims as they made their way past the marshes.
Draguignan, nowadays is residence to the military barracks of the French army artillery school.
There are 2 museums to see. The Musée Municipal was a 17th century convent. Look out for paintings by Rembrandt and Renoir and some local archaeological pieces. The Musée des Traditions Provencales looks into the history of the region and local industries.
Mairead writes for Novacarhire.com – an independent car hire reservation site where you can book low price car hire at over 5000 locations worldwide.
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