Simiane-la-Rotonde, Provence, France
Simiane-la-Rotonde is located on a steep hill and surrounded by fields of lavender, about 20 km east of Saint-Saturnin-les-Apt. Its name comes from the rotunda, which was built at the top of the mountain.
Parking in Simiane-la-Rotonde
To reach the village we use the D18 road, which leads us to the top of the hill. There is a small but quite adequate parking (P; GPS: 43.981547, 5.560532).
Strolling the village
Prepare for climbing (at least on the way back 😁)! Since the village is situated on a quite sloping hill, a lot of the streets are steep or include stairs. When we start our walk from the parking we go next to the famous rotunda (A; GPS: 43.981547, 5.560532) from the twelfth century, from which the town takes its name. Then we enter the maze of narrow streets leading finally to the lower level where the Sainte-Victoire church from the sixteenth century was built (B; GPS: 43.981299, 5.563258). On the way we pass houses with interesting facades containing embedded elements in the form of irregular stones or stone tiles. From the bottom we have interesting view of the surrounding fields and distant hills of Luberon. The town itself is very quiet and peaceful - during our stay we did not meet any inhabitant!
Oppedette
This picturesque village is situated on a hill near the Calavon Canyon (Gorges d'Oppedette), 6 km south of Simiane-la-Rotonde. The multi-colored rocks that make up the Gorges d'Oppedette are impressive. There are caves, natural rock bridges and sinkholes in the area. It is possible to walk along the hiking trails with appropriate caution. Some of them are quite dangerous, especially during rainfall.
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