Au Paradis

We are in Beaumes de Venise, my favourite place in France. It is a beautiful little wine village, east of Orange and just 8km north of Carpentras. This area is the Ventoux-Comtat Venaissin region; a less well known part of Provence, but it is a hidden gem. There is a wealth of beauty and history here and it is not very busy.

Mont Ventoux dominates the area and it is surrounded by lots of little villages each with its own charm and character. The region has been described as a small French Tuscany and it certainly has that feeling. There is, of course, plenty of Roman history here and the Popes at Avignon continued that Italian influence in the region.

Beaumes de Venise is a working village. Yes, there are tourists here; cyclists following the classic Tour de France routes up and around Mont Ventoux; climbers, walkers and those of a certain age in their camping cars; but the holiday crowds and bustle of the Cote d'Azur is missing. The pace of life is tranquil and the vast majority of people are locals getting on with their everyday lives in the vineyards and fields.

Our everyday life here is simple. We get up late. I walk the 300m into the village and return with a paper and two baggettes. A leisurely breakfast is followed by a shower and a return to the viallage square. Morning prayers in the village church (Notre Dame des Dentelles) and then coffee as we watch the village go about its daily work. After lunch it is a combination of walking, sleeping and reading (sometimes all three if we are feeling energetic!) followed by afternoon tea back in the village square.

The Comtat Venaissin plain is rich in agriculture, but it is most famous for its wine. Beaumes de Venise is well known for its Muscat - a sweet white wine, but it has excellent reds with its own appellation. These are Cotes du Rhone; my favourite reds with a mixture of grenache, syrah and mourvedre.

This is our third visit here and we haven't really begun to explore the area properly. To do that you really need a car and that's the great disadvantage of a camping car. Some of these villages are tucked away, some perched on the rocky slopes of the Dentelles or on the sides of Ventoux.

This is the last blog of this trip. On Thursday we set off for Calais. We are looking forward to our stay in London and seeing Harry and Alice - not forgetting Marie and Dave.

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A bientot.