The Provence region
Within a 15-minute radius of the Maison de la Zélie
- The Montagnette massif with its pine forests, scrubland, and valleys planted with cypresses, olive, almond, and apricot trees, thyme and wild thyme
- The Frigolet Abbey and monastery
- The mills and castles in Boulbon, Barbentane, Châteaurenard, Fontvieille with Daudet's mill, and Les Baux-de-Provence
- The luminous landscapes of the Alpilles surrounded by vineyards, olive trees, holm oaks, and thyme
- St Rémy de Provence, the Glanum Archaeological Site, and the Saint-Paul de Mausole Monastery where Van Gogh lived in 1889.
- The Carrières de Lumières
- The Roman aqueduct of Barbegal
- The Montmajour Abbey
- The panoramic view of Eygalières over the surrounding area
- Avignon, the Palace of the Popes, the Saint-Bénezet bridge, and the ancient narrow streets
- Tarascon, following in the footsteps of Tartarin and the Tarasque, King René's castle.
Going a little further
About 45 minutes to 1 hour from the house
- Arles, its arenas, the Van Gogh Museum
- The Camargue, its wild landscapes, its pink flamingos
- Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, its festivals and traditions (feria, abrivado, bullfighting)
- Aigues-Mortes, a medieval city.
- Nîmes and the majesty of its Roman monuments
- The Pont du Gard at the mouth of the Gardon gorges
- The wine route (Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Beaumes-de-Venise, Gigondas)
- Sault, land of lavender and the Gorges de la Nesque
- The villages of the Luberon, the Vaucluse mountains, and Mount Ventoux
- Uzès, its Tuscan-like landscapes, and its typical Saturday market
- Orange, its ancient theater and its triumphal arch
- Nyons, its olives, the Dentelles de Montmirail
- The Calès troglodyte site north of Salon-de-Provence (116 caves to discover)
- Aix-en-Provence and its fountains
Numerous events, throughout the seasons.
A whole region bustling, all year round!
January - April:
- Cheval Passion, horse show in Avignon (January)
- The Transhumance Festival in St Rémy de Provence (Pentecost Sunday)
- The Roman Days of Beaucaire, chariot races and gladiator fights (April)
- The Nîmes Feria (bullfighting culture and bullfights) (Pentecost)
May - August:
- The Gardians Festival, horseback procession in Arles (May 1st)
- The Arles Feria and its bullfights in the arenas (Ascension)
- The Tarasque Festival in Tarascon (last weekend of June)
- The Avignon Theater Festival from July 7 to 28, 2012
- The Horse Festival in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (mid-July)
- The Salt Route between the salt marshes in the Camargue (July)
- The Lavender and Distillery Route, harvest in the Sault country on the foothills of Ventoux (end of July)
- The Lavender Festival, Sault (August 15)
- The Basketry Festival in Vallabrègues (2nd weekend of August)
- The International Photography Meetings of Arles (from July to September)
September - December:
- The Rice Feria in Arles (September)
- The Grape Harvest Feria in Nîmes (September)
- The Santon Fair in Tarascon (last weekend of November)
- Christmas markets, in the villages of Provence
- Midnight Mass with shepherd’s offering, in St Michel de Frigolet (December 24)
All year round: The Impressionist Route, from Saint-Rémy to Aix, from Cézanne to Van Gogh
Not to mention all the village festivals, for Saint Eloi, and the votive festivals....
