A tour around Villes-sur-Auzon

Villes-sur-Auzon is a village with a little more than 1000 inhabitants, situated in a valley between the Mont Ventoux and the Monts de Vaucluse. In the olden days it was surrounded by walls, which is why the village is round. Today houses have replaced the ramparts, but one of the gates, the 18th century Grand Portail is still there, and vestiges of the old walls can be seen here and there. Just outside the old centre, not far from the Grand Portail, lies the "Pous di Foro", an area with small gardens surrounded by dry stone walls, watered by a network of gutters which brings water from the nearby fountain. Most of them belong to houses in the centre, and some are still cultivated. The present-day church and the town hall are both situated outside the old centre. The village is surrounded by vineyards. To the west there is a forest of pine and chestnut trees in a warmcoloured ochre landscape. On the other side stand the mountains, hollowed out by the occasional wild gully like the "Combe de l'Hermitage" and the spectacular Nesque Gorges, covered with typical Mediterranean vegetation. Click on the images to enlarge them. Maps of Villes-sur-Auzon