France - The Ochre Lands Of Provence (1/151)

France - The Ochre Lands Of Provence (1/151)

From far away they shimmer in a blaze of colour - the ochre cliffs of Provence, about forty kilometres east of Avignon. The fiery earth characterises a whole region extending along the mountain range of the Lubéron amidst cherry tree plantations, olive groves and vineyards. The villages in the land of ochre have been built on the hilltops - eyries with splendid views over the vast expanses of this landscape. Most famous is the area around Roussillon which does honour to its name not only because of the glowing colours of its houses. The ochre quarries here with their fantastic rock formations in a palette of colours varying from saffron yellow to blood red also do justice to their poetic names: Valley of the Fairies, Blood Hill and Giants' Causeway.