Alpes-de-Haute-Provence: Lavender, Gorges, and Giono Country
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is one of the least populated departments in France, with about 167,000 residents spread across dramatic terrain. Digne-les-Bains, the prefecture, is a spa town that also hosts the Geological Reserve of Haute-Provence, the largest in Europe. The lavender fields of the Valensole plateau, in the department's south, are among the most photographed landscapes in France.
Sisteron, guarded by a citadel on a narrow pass of the Durance river, is called the 'gateway to Provence.' Forcalquier and Manosque are the main towns in the southern part. Jean Giono, one of the great French novelists of the twentieth century, was from Manosque and set much of his work in this landscape. The Gorges du Verdon extend into the department's southwest. Barcelonnette, in the northern mountains, has an unusual Mexican connection: emigration to Mexico in the nineteenth century brought back wealth and Italian-style villas.
Show more
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is one of the least populated departments in France, with about 167,000 residents spread across dramatic terrain. Digne-les-Bains, the prefecture, is a spa town that also hosts the Geological Reserve of Haute-Provence, the largest in Europe. The lavender fields of the Valensole plateau, in the department's south, are among the most photographed landscapes in France.
Sisteron, guarded by a citadel on a narrow pass of the Durance river, is called the 'gateway to Provence.' Forcalquier and Manosque are the main towns in the southern part. Jean Giono, one of the great French novelists of the twentieth century, was from Manosque and set much of his work in this landscape. The Gorges du Verdon extend into the department's southwest. Barcelonnette, in the northern mountains, has an unusual Mexican connection: emigration to Mexico in the nineteenth century brought back wealth and Italian-style villas.
Country selected
Region selected
No cities available
