GoutetVoyage.com

It feels like little has changed in the last few centuries as you leave your car in the car park below and begin to climb to the top. The streets of Oppède are narrow, cobbled and steep and the backstreets and houses defy gravity. The impressive church of Notre-Damed'Alydon has both a gargoyle and a hexagonal bell-tower and it’s certainly not what you expect. It’s also home to some fading frescoes as well as music recitals in the summer. But sadly, the adjoining castle is little more than ruins. A quirky little Café When you’ve drunk in enough of the Vaucluse below, you twist and turn your way back down to the main square. Stroll past intriguing doorways in hidden corners, 15th and 16th century walls and clusters of geraniums trailing from pots in pretty courtyards. Below, and at every turn, are majestic, wide angled views of the plains. It feels like the whole of Provence is spread out beneath you. And, even in late October when I went, the skies are still blue and the Vaucluse mountains and Mont Ventoux can be seen in the distance. It is silent. Spellbinding. Stunning.