It was a crispy blue September day. We were actually ‘en route’ to a different town but we had to pass through Monteux to get to our final destination. Suddenly we saw the cutest town square ever, decorated with two beautiful old olive trees and lovely flowers everywhere. So colorful ! At this point, we decided to park our car and go for a short morning stroll…
Location
Monteux is a large village which is widely spread across the fertile plain surroundings of Carpentras. It is located 20 km northeast of Avignon and 5 km southwest of Carpentras on the D942. Just to have an idea.
Painted canvas all over the place ?
Before I go further into its history, I have to share something else. The majority of the houses, local shops etc. are covered with a large painted canvas. Very colorful and sometimes very surreal ! To us it seemed very strange on one side, but very pleasant on the other side. We have not figured out yet what to think about this. Is this a complete fake village or is it art ? Or is it perhaps a creative way to cover empty abandoned buildings ? Either way, we were pleasantly surprised, to say the least. I usually do not post large pictures separately but I make an exception for this article. Take an even closer look by clicking on each picture !
Bites & Books
Walking around a special town like this can make you long to sit down somewhere … just to enjoy the quiet and the creativity around you, and luckily there is bistrot ‘Une Journée Chez Lylou’ where you can enjoy a drink or even a little bite. If you like to read a book while you’re there…you will find the cutest little ‘library’ across the square…also here a creative mind was @ work 🙂
Entering the village
The heart of the ancient village of Monteux is tightened inside fortified ramparts going back as far as the 14th century ! You can enter the ancient village through ‘La Porte d’Avignon’ at ‘Place Henri Barbusse’. The only remains are its walls and the Dolphin Fountain on your left side. Once entered, you can wander through the narrow streets and alleyways of the old city.
Church and belfry
A few steps away from Porte d’Avignon, you will see the Church of Our Lady of Nazareth, Gothic style, which was recently restored and listed as ‘historical monument’.
Monteux est une très jolie petite ville provençale toute dynamique ! Merci pour ce joli article !
Tout d’abord bienvenue sur mon blog et merci de votre inscription et réaction Mr / Mme / Mlle Alcoverro! C’était notre première visite à Monteux et nous avons vraiment adoré! Nous retournerons…cela est sûr! Vous pouvez nous recommander un resto sympa à Monteux par hasard ? Nous aimons toujours combiner notre visite avec un déjeuner ou un petit dîner…:)
Le Café de Paris, Le Drop bar resto ou alors plus gastronomique le Saule Pleureur vers le lac de Beaulieu. À Monteux d’autres fresques vont faire leur apparition signées d’artistes renommés…
Parfait! Un grand merci Mr Alcoverro! Nous suivrons ‘notre coeur’ en ce qui concerne le resto une fois de retour à Monteux et vous verrez apparaître l’article 🙂