A Visit to Vaucluse: Nimes, Pont du Gard, Uzes, Vaison-la-Romaine and Surrounding Wine Country

Our next Provencal base for exploration is Vaison-la-Romaine, with stops in Nimes, Pont du Gard, and Uzes en route. The “local Headline reads “Cold Snap, so we layered as well as possible and set out for our next adventures.

The strong winds of the Mistral made walking around a bit of a challenge, but we managed to make a short swing through Nimes, the birthplace of denim. This comes from the fabric called serge de Nimes which regional farmers used to make work clothes and wagon covers. It made its way to San Francisco where Levi Strauss used it to make pants he called  jeans (from the word Genes, French for the Italian port of Genoa from which it was originally shipped.) We didn’t see much denim in Nimes, but we did stretch our legs long enough to view the Arena which dates back to AD 100 and is considered the most well-preserved arena of the Roman world. Today it’s used as a concert venue. The Maison Carree is also impressive and is considered the most complete building that survives from the Roman Empire.

The highlight of the day exploring this region was our visit to Pont du Gard, an aqueduct from Roman times and a spectacular work of art. In the first century AD, the Romans built a 30-mile aqueduct that ran to Nimes. While most of it ran on or below the ground, at Pont du Gard the aqueduct spans a canyon on a massive bridge over the Gardon River. It’s truly one of the most remarkable surviving Roman ruins anywhere.

Continuing our drive through beautiful Provence, we came to the traffic-free upscale town of Uzes. Quaint shops peek out from beneath the arcaded main square, and Denise was so cold she took advantage of a half-price sale on a vegan leather jacket which she wore for the rest of our drive to Vaison-la-Romaine.

Vaison-la-Romaine is famous for its rich Roman ruins, medieval town, and cathedral. The old town is split into two parts: Colline du Chateau (the upper city high atop a hill on one side of the Ouveze River), and Colline de la Villasse (the lower city.) We were lucky to book two nights at Maison d’Hotel de l’Eveche, a five room historic inn hosted by the gracious Aude and Jean-Loup Verdier in the upper city. Getting to our B&B was not for the faint of heart with hairpin turns and tiny stone-walled, cobblestone streets, but again our expert driver Doug and his capable navigators Darlene and Michael, with Michael actually leading part of the way on foot, got us there safely while yours truly closed her eyes and prayed!

Once there, I opened my eyes to see an inviting vine-covered arch leading to a stone building from the 15th century. During the course of our stay we learned that our kind hosts had bought the historic bishop’s residence (then in virtual ruins) in 1979. Host Jean-Loupe clearly used every bit of his architect training and building skills to renovate just enough to be convenient but with every ounce of charm intact.

The library room is literally floor to ceiling books with comfy chairs and a ladder to reach the very top shelf. A welcoming fire had been set in the comfortable living room, which we adopted for quiet evenings of pure relaxation. Aude had run a local art gallery and covered every inch of wall space with various interesting art posters and paintings. Memorabilia suggesting hobbies in music, photography and skiing were carefully placed so as to be interesting rather than cluttered. Although the winding stairs up to the quaint bedrooms could pose a challenge for some, our climbs  were rewarded with lovely sleeping accommodations with terra cotta floors and whitewashed beamed ceilings. It took some doing to figure out the heating panel, but once we did, the rooms provided a welcome respite from the persistent cold  winds of the Mistral. The place was so quiet during the night we were surprised to see other guests at breakfast. Here again, Aude’s culinary skills were in full display with homemade petite croissants and yogurt, cheeses, fruits, jams and piping hot coffee. The cold prevented us from enjoying the idyllic terrace, but breakfasting at the family dining table gave us a taste of life in the Vaucluse area of Provence.

Fortified for the day, we layered up and made our way down the hill and across the 2000 year old Roman bridge to the market where throngs of people from throughout the region descend on Tuesday mornings for one stop shopping. Literally everything one could imagine is on offer, from fresh ripe produce to prepared foods, baked goods, clothing, household items, luxurious fabrics, plants, and even mattresses and recliners. There’s also live music and dogs…lots of dogs! Denise made yet another weather-related purchase…gloves!

Walking up and down the hills of this Medieval town enabled us to partake in the local foods without guilt. We opted for Vietnamese our first night and French bistro food  the second.

At the recommendation of our host, we skipped individual wineries in favor of a drive to a quaint shop in Gigondas to taste some of the area’s best wines.

The Medieval ruins in Vaison-la-Romaine are well preserved and accessible. We definitely got our steps in exploring the ups and downs of this beautiful mountain town.

Two days in Vaison-la-Romaine flew by! Although we’re eager to see and do more, our departure from L’Eveche was bittersweet. A watercolor postcard left with our receipt will provide sweet memories of this idyllic spot.