Ardeche villages in photos
The most attractive Ardeche villages receive the award ‘village of character’ from the local tourist authority. Much like the national ‘most beautiful village’ award it is a recognition of the village itself and its attention to preserving the fabric of the village, and also a tribute to the setting of the village – typically running [...]
Landscape photos
On the south of France site home page we use ‘widescreen’ (landscape) pictures’ that get pushed off the front page when a new feature appears, never to be seen again. This is a shame, so I thought I’d post them here as well for the sake of posterity. Aubeterre-sur-Dronne Mont-Lozere Ardeche gorges
Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer
OK, I grant you, this picture could have been taken anywhere in France, or plenty of other places in the world. So you are just going to have to take my word for it, it was taken at Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer, a resort on the French Riviera betwen Sanary-sur-Mer and Bandol. Be that as it may, it’s [...]
Marseille harbour photo
This photo of Marseille harbour is very beautiful despite having little colour, and a background view that is hard to see clearly. The Marseille it portrays is not especially realistic – very few of the ships in Marseille harbour are decked with rigging – but that hardly matters. The question is, would it make you [...]
Keep looking up
Photo taken in Aigues-Mortes centre In many of the towns you visit in the south of France you will find yourself in open squares lined with trees and narrow streets of medieval houses, and very pretty they are too. The distractions at ground level will keep you occupied, and it is easy to forget to [...]
Popes palace in Avignon
This impressive series of buildings was built in the 14th century, after Rome became too violent for Pope Clement V and he, along with successive popes, set up home in Avignon instead. The Pope’s palace in Avignon continued to be home to the popes until 1377, and following a later split in the Catholic church [...]
Conques
Conques is a very attractive village in the Aveyron department, with a renowned pilgrimage abbey and a main street lined with beautiful houses, all in a picture postcard setting in a wooded valley. So why does this photo of Conques show none of that? This house caught my eye because of the balustrades that form [...]
Chateau Lastours
Lovely view of one of the lesser known cathar castles of Languedoc – actually three castles strung out along the top of a rocky ridge, at Chateau Lastours.