Riez & Lac de Sainte-Croix, Provence, France
Riez is a town founded in the first century and containing many traces of its rich past. It is located near Lake Lac de Sainte-Croix and the Verdon Canyon, about 14 km east of Valensole and 15 km west of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie.
Parking in Riez
The town provides a really huge parking lot located near the old quarter (P; GPS: 43.816504, 6.091839). Just turn to Place Maxime Javelly from Allée Louis Gardiol and after about 100 meters you will be in the parking lot, which by the way is also free.
Strolling Riez
We leave the parking lot in the same way we entered it, then we turn left and walk the Allée Louis Gardiol street towards the Cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption de Riez (A; GPS: 43.8181281, 6.0910475). We then head north the Rue du Fbg Saint-Sébastien and on the right we pass the Benoîte Fountain (B; GPS: 43.818861, 6.090948) from 1819. Wandering the narrow streets we then go towards the eastern border of the old town and at the intersection of Allée Louis Gardiol, Rue de l'Ormeau and Rue Eyguière we find the Colonne Fountain with a column with a decorative vase on its top (C; GPS: 43.817307, 6.093823). Right next to the fountain we see very interesting gate Porte d'Ayguières. You can then head north the Chemin des Mongettes to get to the old clock tower (D; GPS: 43.819336, 6.092451).
The lake Lac de Sainte-Croix
The lake Lac de Sainte-Croix is an artificial reservoir created after the construction of the Sainte-Croix dam on the river Verdon. It is now often visited by tourists due to the large number of sailing centers and bathing resorts. Next to the lake you can find the largest canyon in Europe (Verdon Canyon, Gorges du Verdon). The water in the lake has a beautiful, greenish color. It is worth coming to it during the beautiful weather, when you can fully admire its beauty. We stopped by the Route de Moustiers E; GPS: 43.792914, 6.186970), which by the way leads along beautiful fields of lavender. The next stop was on the road D957 (F; GPS: 43.803359, 6.235276), where we could see the Galetas bridge connecting the banks of the river Verdon. Of course, we also drove to this bridge (G; GPS: 43.802269, 6.249674) to look closely at the lake.
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