East of Avignon the town of Gordes centers a region of
villages engaged in lavender production including
Roussillion, Menerbes, Lacoste, Bonnieux,  and the
Abbaye de Senanque

High speed train from Paris Gare de Lyon station takes
under  three hours to reach the Avignon TGV station
where rental cars from Autoeurope are available.
Bonnieux
Lacoste attracts artists to its school. Plien air painters work in the one-street village that
was once home to the Marque de Sade
Lavender fields in the hills near Sault on the Plateau de Vaucluse bloom in late June for a mid
July harvest
Market day at Lacoste
Mines in the hills near Roussillion supply the minerals for ochre colorant used in oil paints
The fields around Gordes and Goult  glow with lavender ripening for an early to mid July harvest.
Good roads connect the villages, some built by the Romans in the first century.
Provence Lavender, The South of France
Villages in Lavender Country
Provence  Lavender Country,
Offers Great Hiking and
Biking in the South of France.
The hill towns in lavender country
can offer a good hike or bike ride.  
Just a hike to the top of the hill for a
view of the lavender fields below
might be hike enough.
The hill get steeper as you go north
into the hill below Mount Ventoux.  
Lavender ripens later in the higher
elevations.
Hiking and biking in lavender country is not as easy as it is in the flatter terrain  to the south planted
to olive groves and vineyards.
Lavender country in Provence is in the valley and the foothills of Mount Ventoux.   
As you travel north towards the center of lavender production in Sault you reach higher ground and a
mid July lavender harvest.
Restaurants to write home about:
In Mouries    the Valon de Gayet,          in Apt,  La  Manade,          in Avignon,  La Fourchette.
Do You need an International Driving Permit to Drive in Europe.
In France and Italy you can rent a car and do not need to show an International Permit, only your
drivers license    Italian law, however,  requires that.....  See Article
Information for those renting a vehicle in Provence
Shop for your rental car online well  ahead of your trip and
choose diesel (more economical) or gas, luggage
space,(important)  standard or automatic,(important)  two
door, four door and other options.     See  renting a vehicle in
Provence
Provence Lavender in The South of France comes ripe in the
end of June. The fields are full of purple around Gordes and
Apt, the centers of lavender production.
Lavender types vary in the foothills as you travel north
towards the center of lavender production in Sault
Lacoste
Lacoste
Abbey of Senanque near the village of Gordes