Holiday homes in Taillades

Taillades, known locally as Les Taillades, lies in the Vaucluse at the foot of the Luberon, at the western tip of the massif and just a few minutes from Cavaillon. Its name comes from the Provençal talhada, to cut or split: stone has been quarried here for centuries. A fortified village is recorded as early as 1253, and in the Middle Ages the lordship passed to families such as the Sabran and the de Marle. Until the early 20th century Taillades lived from its quarries, and the pale rock faces still surround the old village. You pass under a stone bridge to reach the Théâtre des Carrières, a former quarry that hosts concerts and performances every summer during Les Estivales des Taillades. On top of the rock stand a medieval watchtower, the ruins of a 17th-century château (private) and the 18th-century église Saint-Trophime. Look out for the Morvelous, an old figure carved straight into the rock. Below, on the Canal de Carpentras, the Moulin Saint-Pierre of 1859 still has its paddle wheel of about eight metres. From the village you can walk to the gorges de Badarel or the rochers de Baude, and on Friday evenings there is a friendly producers' market. From the old village the view stretches across the Cavaillon plain.