Page 170 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Provence & The Côte d'Azur

168  PROVENCE AREA B Y AREA

of grapes. The château was built sculptor Jacques Bernus (1650–
in 1317 by John XXII, an Avignon 1728). The Hôtel-Dieu has a fine
pope who planted the first 18th-century pharmacy, and
vineyards, but it took some 400 there are regional costumes in
years for the wine’s reputation the Musée Comtadin-Duplessis.
to spread. Today, there are 350
Châteauneuf-du-Pape domaines. u Synagogue
The nearby town of Pernes-les- Pl Maurice Charretier. Tel 04 90 63
Fontaines is known for its 40 39 97. Open Mon–Fri. Closed Jewish
Exterior of the Romanesque St-Michel fountains, in particular the 18th- feast days.
church at Caderousse century Fontaine du Cormoran. R Cathédral St-Siffrein
Until 1914, each of the fountains 3 pl Saint-Siffrein. Tel 04 90 63 08 33.
6Caderousse had an individual keeper. Open Tue–Sat. Closed Sun. 7
Road map B2. * 2,700. n La Mairie, E Musée du Vin – Maison Brotte E Musée Comtadin-Duplessis
Rue Berbiguier (04 90 51 90 69). ( Tue. 234 blvd Albin-Durand. Tel 04 90 63
∑ caderousse.fr Ave Pierre de Luxembourg, 04 92. Open Wed–Mon. Closed public
Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Tel 04 90 83 hols, Oct–Mar. &
This bankside village lies at a 59 44. Open daily. Closed 1 Jan,
point where Hannibal is said 25 Dec. 7 restricted. =
to have crossed the river Rhône
with his elephants on his way to
Rome in 218 BC. For centuries, 8Carpentras
Caderousse has endured the Road map B3. * 29,500. @ n 97
floods of the Rhône, and plaques place 25 Août 1944 (04 90 63 00 78).
on the town hall record the high ( Fri. ∑ carpentras-ventoux.com
levels of floodwater. By 1856, the
villagers had had enough, and As the capital of the Comtat
erected a dyke that is still in place. Venaissin, this market town is Pharmacy in the 18th-century Hôtel-Dieu
Its four entry points can close in the centre of the Côtes-du- at Carpentras
if floods should threaten again. Ventoux wine region.
Caderousse has a Romanesque Boulevards encircle the old 9Abbaye de
church, St-Michel, to which the town, but the Porte d’Orange
Flamboyant Gothic chapel of is the only surviving part of Sénanque
St-Claude was added during the medieval ramparts. In the Road map C3. Tel 04 90 72 05 86.
the 16th century. Middle Ages, the town had a Open late Jan–mid-Nov: Mon–Sat &
large Jewish community, and Sun pm; mid-Nov–early Jan: pms only,
7Châteauneuf-du- their 14th-century synagogue by guided tour (in French). & =
is the oldest in France, now
∑ senanque.fr
Pape used by some 100 families.
While not openly persecuted The beautifully sited Abbaye
Road map B3. * 2,200. @ £ Sorgues,
then taxi. n Place du Portail (04 90 under papal rule, many Jews de Sénanque, surrounded by a
83 71 08). ∑ chateauneuf-du- changed faith and entered the tranquil sea of lavender, is best
pape-tourisme.fr Cathédrale-St-Siffrein by its approached from Gordes (see
15th-century south door, the p173). Its monks are often to
The best-known of the Côtes-du- Porte Juive. The cathedral is in be seen in the fields.
Rhone wine labels takes its name the centre of the old town, near Like the other abbeys that
from an unassuming yellowstone a smaller version of Orange’s Arc make up the Cistercian trium-
village on a small hill, given over de Triomphe. In it are Provençal virate in Provence (see p47),
to cellars and restaurants selling paintings and statues by local Sénanque is harmonious and
the products of the local growers
entitled to the appellation d’origine
contrôlée. The Musée du Vin
traces the history and current
state of the local viniculture.
At the top of the village are
the ruins of the Château des
Papes, mostly burned down
in the 16th-century Wars of
Religion. From the remaining
walls there is a superb view of
Avignon and the vineyard-lined
clay fields where smooth stones
deposited by the Rhône reflect
the sun’s heat onto 13 varieties Châteauneuf-du-Pape vineyards
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p201 and pp215–16