Saignon, Provence, France
Saignon is a Provencal village, interestingly situated on a hill under a large rock, about 5 kilometers south-east of Apt. It is quite calm or even sleepy village, but it is worth a visit because of interesting ruins of castles and beautiful views.
Parking in Saignon
We got to the town through Apt via the D48 road that leads up to the village itself. Along the way there are some lavender fields - be prepared and stop for a moment! At the village, there are two parking lots to choose from - 1; GPS: 43.861442, 5.429774 and 2; GPS: 43.861394, 5.429098.
Strolling the village
After leaving the car we go down the Rue des Bourgades street towards nearby town's center - Place de l'Église (A; GPS: 43.862422, 5.429747), in which there are two restaurants and the church of Notre-Dame de Pitié from the twelfth century. We go down the street Rue Saint-Louis until we find another small square (B; GPS: 43.862716, 5.429235), where we can see pretty fountain and a public laundry. Then we head to the Rue de l'Horloge (C; GPS: 43.863305, 5.429124) and go slightly uphill toward the ruins of castles. They have been beautifully integrated into the mountain rocks. Here we have the opportunity to have beautiful views - in good weather you can see Mont Ventoux located about 60 km from here, and even the outlines of Avignon. Behind the ruins of the castle there is the chapel of Saint-Michel de Transi from eleventh century (D; GPS: 43.864038, 5.428216), renovated and nicely maintained, but inaccessible to the public.
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