The first time I heard of Venasque was a number of years ago, when Francoise and Jean Pierre - the then owners of Mas Pichony in Pernes les Fontaines, a Chambres D'Hotes (Bed and Breakfast) we had stayed in on many of our visits to Provence, emailed us and told us they were selling the Chambres d'Hotes and would be moving to nearby Venasque - "un tres, tres beau village". Since that time, of course we have purchased Masion des Pelerins and la Baume des Pelerins in Sablet and visited many towns and villages in the area. I'm always taken with the special character of each town or village and Venasque is no different. It is a quintessentially French village where villagers shop for their daily needs in the few small village shops and everything stops for two hours at lunchtime and the village streets are deserted.
One quiet Saturday morning we took a stroll through Venasque and discovered that it is really as lovely as we had heard it was.
This Picturesque village is filled with pretty cream rock houses and narrow village streets which cling to the rocky hill it stands on.
The ruins of the Medieval wall commonly called "Barrys". This part of the wall and three Saracen Towers are all that remains of Medieval Venasque
The remnants of the old Medieval Wall show how well reinforced this fortress was - three walls with stone reinforcing in between!
The narrow streets and tall buildings are typical of many Provencal villages, but in this village, the residents take care to make sure it is always neat, tidy and pricturesque
Colorful Virginia Creeper climbs up the walls of a village house adding charm and color to the scene
As we walked through the village, all the petite streets had their own version of Provencal charm and most of the pictures that follow do not need any explanation. I hope you will enjoy a petit tour of a very picturesque village.
The Eighteenth Century fountain stands in the middle of the village with shops, restaurants and cafes surrounding it in the square.
This cross stands in the church square, in front of the Church of Notre Dame
The Church of Notre Dame with its tall campanile occupies a prominent place in the Village. The campanile can be seen towering over the landscape as you look up at the village on it's rocky outcrop.
The impressive entry to the Church of Notre Dame
The magnificent Eleventh Century Baptistery in the Church of Notre Dame was restored in the 19th Century.
The Boy's School and the Girl's School of times gone by.
Venasque - perched village on a rocky peak at the foot of Mt. Ventoux overlooks fertile plains planted with vineyards and cherry orchards.
During our walking tour of Venasque, we acquired a new friend who accompanied us through the village and all the way to our car, wagging his tail and smiling whenever we spoke to him.
Bye Venasque .... a beautiful little village and a great way to spend a morning visiting one of
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, (The Most Beautiful Villages in France), which we are fortunate to have so close to our home in Sablet
