December 29-30

Any time of year, Provence has a certain allure. If you are looking for an out-of-the way part of Provence away from the haunts of Peter Mayle, then consider northern Provence in the Cotes du Rhones. You can hike in the Vaucluse mountains, taste wines of the region, visit medievel towns, and explore Roman ruins. The area is about a 2 hour drive south of Lyons or Grenoble.

Vaison La Romaine

Studded with small medieval towns, the region is thick with vineyards that make everything from the rich red wines of Segurat to the fine sweet wines of Beaumes de Venise.

Unlike over-reconstructed turist destinations such as Carcassone, the little villages of the Cotes du Rhone are still inhabited and feel "real". You can wander the narrow alleyways of towns such as Vaison La Romaine for hours discovering neighborhood boulangeries and patiesseries as well as the occasional gallery or artist's studio.

What you won't find are souvenir shops selling trinkets and film.

The town of Vaison La Romaine dates back to prehistoric times but it is the work of the Romans that brings visitors to the town today.

Vaison La Romaine has some of the most extensively excavated Roman ruins in France.

On the hill above the medieval city sits a newer castle from the 12th century.

A view from the castle across the more "modern" part of the town.

A restored Roman bridge connects the old and new town which are separated by a river.

On the left is the newer part of town with the Roman bridge visible.

The Roman ruins include an ampetheatre which has been restored to the point where concerts and plays can be held on the outdoor stage.

One of the Roman mansions adjacent to the houses in the new town.

The cloisters of a cathedral which dates back to 11th and 12 centuries.

Our Lady of Nazareth cathedral is one of the finest examples of Provencal Romanesque architecture.

If you are visiting Vaison La Romaine for the day, you get a ticket that allows you to enter four different sites spread over the town. A good place to stop for lunch or a snack is "Pascal". The restaurant is also a bakery with wood-fired ovens that turn out absolutely wonderful breads and pastries. It is located in a strip of restaurants along the main square (Place Montfort).

Seguret

While the ruins of Vaison la Romanie are fun to explore, the town is less charming than some of the smaller medieval cities dotting the countryside.

We decided to stay in the town of Seguret which clings to a hillside.

The village lies along the Route des Vins which connects many of the wine villages of the region.

Driving the route affords many opportunities to taste the different wines of the Cotes du Rhone. Single vineyards as well as collectives of wineries set up tasting rooms along the route for "degustation".

Seguret itself makes some fine wines and is considered a "classified" wine village. The prices of the local wines, however, are quite reasonable. One of the reds that I enjoyed was "La Fiole du Chevalier d'Elbene".

The town also has a designation as one of the most beautiful villages in France (L'Un des Plus Beaux Villages de France). Cars can't navigate the narrow streets so must typically be left in a parking lot at the base of the hill.

We chose to stay in the only hotel actually up the hill and in the village. The view at left is from our room and overlooks the town of Sablet.

"La Table du Comtat" was a comfortable 3 star hotel with a friendly French-speaking staff.

The hotel was nestled against the hill at the end of the town and next to the church; thankfully the bells of the church did not go all night.

The wind, however, was another story...

But first the town. The narrow alleyways have only a smattering of shops. A tourist information center has products of the region. There are a few artisans shops and a cafe. There are two restaurants but one of them is closed in winter.

Not much to do in the town but relax and enjoy the views.

We used the town as a base for hiking. We picked up a detailed hiking map in the tourist office and headed out along well marked trails.

The setting sun cast a warm glow over the Rhone valley and its vineyards.

The old stones of the town glow orange with the sunset.

A nearly full moon rises above the town.

Here the moon is visible behind a church which is below the town.

We took our dinner at our hotel restaurant. The chef, Franck Gomez is on of the "Maitre Cuisinier de France" and the food was exceptional. The Chef personally took our order - the six course Menu Gormande was tempting (even at 450 Francs per person) but we didn't think our appetites would do it justice.

We "settled" on a four course menu.

Our two starters were

Terrine pressee de pommes de terre et morilles, Langoustines poelees

(A fabulous "cake" of layered potatoes with a morell mushroom sauce; two large shrimp)

Fillet de rouget en tartine a la maniere des vignerons et son artichaut garni

(Small filet of red snapper with a port wine reduction sauce; a toast covered with onions which had been cooked with pine nuts and sweet Beaumes de Venice wine until caramelized; an artichoke with some unknown filling that was broiled.)

Our main courses:

Pave de biche sauce grand veneur son canneloni de champingnon des bois

(a wonderfully tender rare game meat, the canneloni were like fine egg rolles filled with wild forest mushrooms)

Rable de lapin farci de son foie a l'estragon, miroir de vin rouge de Seguret, gateau braise d'endives, poireaux et "pata negra"

(pieces of rabbit stuffed with ground liver with tarragon with a red wine sauce made from local Seguret wine. This was complimented by a "cake" of endives and leeks that can change the way you think about endive.)

This was followed by a cheese course

We each tried three different cheeses, each of them extraordinary. There was a soft golden cheese that was scooped out of a wooden frame. I tried a fromage blanc that made me revaluate my feelings about this plain cheese.

Finally, dessert. We both chose the same thing:

Dark molten chocolate sandwiched between two soft "cookies" with walnuts in them. This was nicely complimented by a fresh pistachio sorbet, a raspberry sauce, a cream sauce, and one delicately curved coconut cookie.

We were thrilled and stuffed. This restaurant would likely have a Michelin star were it not for the service. The service was not bad, it is more "sweet". The restaurant appears to be staffed by young men from this or surrounding villages and they do an admirable job of acting like big time wait staff but there was a lack of polish that we found endearing but Michelin would likely not tolerate.

The eglise across from our hotel,

and the hotel at night.

The town "square" at night.

Strolling the streets after an evening stroll.

As we tried to sleep a fierce wind whipped the town. We were told that it wasn't the famous "Mistral" as this wind came from the south. It was so stong that the windows of the hotel restaurent were flexing in their frames and we had great trouble sleeping. At one point I woke in the night and in a half dream state was sure the howling of the wind was actually ghosts haunting the old stone house.

There are less extravagant places to stay and eat. One nice spot below the town is La Bastide Bleue, Auberge and Restaurant.

The food is hearty Provencal fare with lamb, veal, duck, etc dominating the entrees. The atmosphere couldn't be nicer with the restaurant sprawling through three cozily furnished rooms. One of the rooms had a great open fireplace warming the interior. The owner doesn't speak English but was patient with us as we stumbled along in French.

We took a six-hour hike from Seguret to the town of Gigondas and back through Sablet. Gigondas is another delightful medieval town with a few restaurants and a number of good wine tasting rooms.

The hike was lovely through vineyards and woods with great views of Les Dentelles pictured at left.

We picked up a bottle of the Gigondas 1995, Domaine du Terme, rouge for under $10.

Contact information:

La Bastide Bleue Auberge, Seguret, Telephone and Fax: 04 90 46 83 43. Double rooms run about 250FF, dinner 125FF for a 3 course menu.

La Table du Comtat, Seguret, Telephone: 04 90 46 91 49, Fax: 04 90 46 94 27. Double rooms run about 520FF, dinner menus start at 160FF and run up to 450FF per person.