No. 125: Roussillon
The stunning village of Roussillon is located in Languedoc-Roussillon, the southernmost region of France, about 10 km northwest of Apt, just a bit north between Avignon and Apt.
En fait this hamlet is so picturesque, it is considered one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France. Set outside an emerald pine forest on bright red-ocre hills, Roussillon is known for its clay-colored rooftops and structures, narrow medieval streets, handsome doors, colorful shutters and of course, great wine. It is a teeny village, but the perfect place to spend a sunny afternoon with girlfriends exploring, eating fabulous fresh food, and sharing a bottle, or two, of Côtes de Luberon on a sun-kissed balcony. It’s also a wonderful place to stop on a romantic holiday with your hubby as you tour this spectacular region in early summer…hint, hint, Superman..
The Sentier des Ocres, or Ochre Trail, also known as the Giants’ Causeway, is an otherworldly natural park (and national treasure) of red cliffs and gorgeous sandy trails just beside Roussillon. For this western girl it’s a happy reminder, albeit on a small scale, of Canyon Lands and Arches National Park. A hike through the park is two very well spent hours among God’s southwestern canvas. A word of warning: so touchable is the reddish-orange sand, the kid-at-heart would be wise to take an extra set of clothing, or at least an extra pair of shoes, to change into as ocres stains are not so easy to wash out.
Kudos to the lovely Pascale Moreau for sharing this beautiful photo (above) from our girls’ weekend in and around Languedoc-Roussillon.
And one last interesting fact for my book club friends, Samuel Beckett lived in this terra-cotta town for a couple of years and references Roussillon in Waiting for Godot.
On the way to Roussillon…
Vocabulaire
en fait: in fact
Plus Beaux Villages de France: (one of the) Most Beautiful Villages in France
Sentier des Ocre: Ochre Trail
365+ Things I Love About France 