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Hello dear visitor, my name is Arnaud and will be your native Guide of this magnificent Provence. Among the 5 tours I offer, I take you today to Arles and its surroundings, in the country of Van Gogh.
After pickup in front of Hôtel Bristol, in Avignon, we will first go to a breathtaking viewpoint on Les Baux de Provence, a medieval village built with limestone on a rocky promontory. It was a very strong place in the Middle Ages because it was governed by a wealthy and strong local family managing about 80 other villages around, and this family also built a fortress in Les Baux to keep an eye all around. Now, Les Baux de Provence is listed in the most beautiful villages of France.
You will then see the very beautiful image and light show of the Quarries of Lights (Carrières des Lumières), former place of limestone extraction. In this indoor place, they play light shows since 1970s and they change the topic each year (French painters, Van Gogh or Egyptian civilisation for the most recent ones). It is like a film projected on the quarry's walls and even on the floor, for a magnificent show. You will probably be starry-eyed at the end!
Then we will stop at the Moulin Castelas. You will do a guided visit of the mill and taste several olive oils from their own production which started about 30 years ago. You will also have enough time in the shop if you want to carry some very nice products back home. After this, we will have picnic in front of the oil mill, under the fig trees, with only fresh produce from local farms, such as eggs, black olives tapenade, sweet pepper tapenade, fresh goat cheese, seasonal fruits, fruits juice…
NB : this part of the tour will occur only from April to October.
We will then stroll through the Old Town of Arles, where you will discover its rich Roman, medieval and contemporary history. You will see a lot of buildings, monuments and places from different periods of history (cathedral, cloister, Town Hall, Van Gogh's café, Constantin's baths, dyke, amphitheatre, Ancient Theatre, Summer Gardens…).
Finally, you will have free time in the very nice town centre of St Rémy de Provence, in which you will stroll through its alleys, on the terrace of coffee or in its souvenir shops. Some French and foreigns artist bought a house in this peaceful town which became famous thanks to Van Gogh, because he stayed at the monastery-hospital there during about a year, and he painted his famous “The starry night” from his room. St Rémy de Provence was also a Roman town named Glanum. There is still a Roman district (only ruins), an Arc de Triomphe and a Mausoleum from the Roman era.
To finish, you will be dropped off at the same place where the tour started, in Avignon.
