The Bruner Family Journey: The Legendary Hill Towns of Provence

Gordes has a long history that exemplifies the Provençal hill town - it was inhabited during pre-Roman times; served as a Roman oppidum (settlement); moved from the valley below up the hill and was fortified with an imposing castle during the Middle Ages; declined in importance over the centuries; and then was rediscovered by artists and tourists in recent years. There are some distinguishing characteristics, including the town's active role in the French Resistance during World War II and the fact that one of my favorite painters of all time, Marc Chagall, bought a house here. But more than anything else, Gordes attracts visitors from all over the world because it is a stunning visual site, a beautiful artwork in beige and green that clings to a massive rock.

The red cliffs of Roussillon

Roussillon's illustrious history includes conquest by the Romans, sacking by the Visigoths, and being incorporated into a reunified Gaul in the 8th century by Pepin the Short (who turned to a career in French officialdom after he realized he had no future in the Medieval Basketball Association). The village is famous for the rich deposits of ochre pigments found in the clay in the surrounding landscape. Ochre from the area had been used since prehistoric times and was mined by the Romans, but commercial-scale mining did not occur until the late 18th century. Today, mining is prohibited to preserve the character of the village and its surroundings and - as you might expect - tourism has taken over as the main economic engine. The warm, smooth earth tones of Roussillon stand in sharp contrast to the austere beige stone of nearby Gordes.

Although you wouldn't know it today, the serene hill town of Bonnieux has had quite a bloody history. It became a papal enclave during the Middle Ages, which made it a privileged and prosperous place. But unfortunately this made the town a target of violence during the religious wars of the 16th century, when (according to Frommer's) Protestants killed 3,000 of the town's 4,000 inhabitants. The population never recovered and today it's a sleepy place where the upper part of the town, with its lonely 12th century "old" church, seems almost deserted. The town's setting is spectacular, and if you climb to the top you'll be rewarded with fantastic views in all directions. Turn this way, and look down over the town's "new" church (built in the 19th century) and the expansive valley beyond. Turn the other way, and gaze at the neighboring hill town of Lacoste, crowned by its crumbling castle, where the infamous Marquis de Sade lived (and probably had some pretty wild dinner parties - I wonder what the dress code was). In addition to the views, the upper town has plenty of green open space and is as much of a nature park as it is a medieval village.

View of the "new" church

Green open space abounds in the upper part of town

View of Lacoste and the Chateau de Sade

Finally, there's Les Baux-de-Provence, a very old village that once defied the French crown and now functions as a kind of medieval theme park. According to some accounts, people lived here as long as 6.000 years ago. But its fame came in the Middle Ages, when the village was ruled by powerful and ruthless feudal lords who built a huge castle here and sent their armies across Europe. But apparently King Louis XIII thought they were asserting too much power, so his chief minister Cardinal Richelieu ordered the castle dismantled in 1632. Today, only a handful of people live in the upper town, which is more of a show for tourists than a living community. But it's loads of fun, complete with stockades and working catapults, and the kids loved it. It's also an enormously pretty place, with a finely restored medieval townscape against a backdrop of large craggy rock formations.