Welcome to my quirky, tall and skinny town house in the medieval part of Vaison-la-Romaine, at the very heart of ancient historic Provence. This is what this cozy little home has to offer on no less than four levels: street level full size garage and basement with small gym and laundry washer, back entrance main floor with open area kitchen/dining/living-room and balcony overlooking the river, middle floor with master bedroom, full bathroom, reading room/parlor and top floor with small sitting are and one bedroom (two single beds) plus open-air solarium/terrace with a general view of the modern town across the river and its hidden antique gems in lush clusters of green playing against a distant majestic mountain skyline.
There is virtually no vehicle traffic in this area of town, but in the high season, it is animated by a steady stream of French and foreign visitors finding their way on foot through a maze of narrow cobblestone streets leading up along this i places steep rock to its daunting castle ruin at the summit.
But you won't have hike far to enjoy a good meal. There are two restaurants virtually next door, as well as Daan's and Emilie's guest-house (Thé chez toi), who will serve you a delicious breakfast. Your neighbor to the right is hands down the best spot for exquisite cuisine within many a mile (Bistro D'uo).
Once you cross the Roman Bridge (as people have for about 2,000 years) down the street, be ready for some more time-travel. This is the new or modern or lower part of town, but here lie also many spectacular archeological and antique vestiges, such as the amphitheater, the thermal baths, ruins of Roman houses, streets and shops.
Across the street from the open-air museum you will be overwhelmed by the fragrances and colors of the town market (typical marhé provençal), provided it's a Tuesday of course.
My favor however goes to the stunning scenery, be it natural or man-made, in the surroundings or just around the corner. All the little hamlets seemingly clinging on to rocky peaks like the lives or their inhabitants depended on it, which actually used to be the case... The striking rocky gingerbread of the Dentelles de Montmirail are also a unique feature in the landscape. But, in all fairness, more than anything, the Big Windy/Mont Ventoux, in the near distance, deserves all due deference with its eerie moonscape culminating well over 6,000 feet or almost 2,000 meters. This billowing bully is also a piece of frequently revisited Tour de France history. You can't but sense His Tallness taunt you: Come and get me if you dare! If you're a moderately fit cyclist like myself, from the house, it should take you almost five hours climb it, but then again barely 45 minutes of whizzing down to be back parading by the Vaison Bridge again. A lighter and possibly less hectic version of this excursion would be to drive part of the way up and hike any of the mountain's gorgeous trails. Or you could choose to start your hike right around the corner of the and head for the less challenging hills in the hinterland, just behind the Castle ruin and into former Barbarian territory.
On a more mundane level and practical note, once you've parked your car on one of the free parking spots on rue Gévaudan leading to the house, you should be able to do all your shopping and sightseeing on foot, within a 15 minute walk at the most.
I could go on and on about the things to do while in Vaison, like visiting winemakers or the olive pressing mill, but what if it rains? Well, it rarely does, but if it does, it's a hard rain a gonna fall, but only briefly. If you have chosen a cooler time of year than May to October, try cooking some hearty French cuisine behind the kitchen counter using locally grown ingredients and savor your concoction by the roaring fireplace. Nah, it'll probably be too hot for that, the weather not the soup. Anyway, do enjoy, because here, what's not to enjoy or love!
