Holiday homes in Venasque

Venasque is one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France: an old village perched on a rocky spur facing Mont Ventoux, looking out over vineyards, garrigue and cherry orchards. It gave its name to the Comtat Venaissin. On the south side, three towers and a stretch of wall from the Late Roman period protect the village, one of the finest fortifications of that era in the Vaucluse. Its highlight is the 6th-century baptistery, one of the oldest religious buildings in France, altered several times and a protected monument since as early as 1840. Entry is free every day. The Romanesque église Notre-Dame holds a Crucifixion from the School of Avignon dated 1498. Along the steep lanes, eight information panels tell the village's story, and from the viewpoints you look straight out at Mont Ventoux. Venasque is famous for its cherries: the cherry festival takes place in early June, and a summer market runs from mid-June to mid-September. Walkers head into the Monts de Vaucluse, with the gorges de la Nesque nearby. Carpentras is about 11 km away.