Mas Bellile, St Rémy de Provence


	Your stay in Bellile also provides you with the opportunity to explore Provence.

The town, where the old ramparts have given way to a circular boulevard, comes to life every Wednesday for the market, which in the summer is full of the aromas of basil, lavender, melon and olive tapenade.
The town is a gourmand's paradise, with shop windows full of candied fruits, a huge array of different flavours of chocolate, wines, olive oil and all kinds of speciality produce. Why not sample the simple pleasure of sipping pastis in the shade of the local plane trees? Saint-Rémy is also a town of tradition with a passion for bull racing, Provençal music and dance and the manufacture of essential oils.

It is also well known for its rich cultural heritage. This includes: the famous Greco-Roman site of Glanum, constructed around a spring with healing properties; the 12th century Romanesque church and cloister of Saint Paul; and the old town's Renaissance buildings.
The visitor can also follow in the footsteps of the celebrated astrologer Nostradamus and the painter Van Gogh who, during his stay in Saint-Rémy in 1889, produced some 150 canvases. And you can rediscover these landscapes as you wander through the area.




			Saint-Rémy is at the foot of the Alpilles, a small limestone massif, which stretches over 40km between Cavaillon and Tarascon, and which is famous for its distinctive vegetation.

Nestling in the heart of this small, white version of the Alps is the celebrated village of Baux. You reach the village along the 'Val d'Enfer' – 'Valley of Hell' – with its striking rock formations sculpted by the wind. The village, set against a cliff, is surmounted by the ruins of a Renaissance castle that Louis XIII, jealous of the power of Baux, had razed to the ground in the 17th century.


	The Camargue, which sits between two branches of the River Rhone, is one of the most beautiful natural sites in Europe. Its flora and fauna is protected and bulls, horses and flamingos roam here in complete freedom. The small village of Saintes Maries de la Mer, on the coast and 80km from Saint-Rémy, is the meeting place for the great Gypsy pilgrimages.




		At the entrance to the Rhone delta, Arles is an exceptionally well preserved Roman and medieval town. The most famous of the town's monuments are the Roman arena, theatre and thermal baths, as well as the new Museum of Roman Archaeology and the church and cloister of Saint-Trophime. A market is held every Saturday on the Boulevard des Lices, the site of the ancient city walls, where the Camargue herdsmen or 'gardians' and the local toreros buy their equipment. Arles also hosts a school and festival of contemporary photography.


	Avignon, 20km from Saint-Rémy, best known for the Popes' Palace and its theatre festival, is rich in history. You can stroll around the town, have a drink on the terrace of a café while you listen to the local street musicians, and discover the work of the numerous artists who have stands in the streets or are exhibited in galleries.

don't forget that Provence is also the home of several fine Romanesque abbeys – Montmajour, La Chartreuse de Villeneuve-les-Avignon – as well as the Cistercian abbeys of Sénanque, Sylvacane and Le Thoronet.

you can cross the Alpilles on foot, by mountain bike or on horseback. There is a golf course at Les Baux-de-Provence, a famous gliding club in Romanin (7km away) at the foot of the limestone cliffs. You will find tennis courts in Saint-Rémy, the sea is just 80km away and then there is Mont Ventoux that you can cycle up and follow the Tour de France.

are organized throughout Provence.
The most famous include: the Avignon theatre festival in July; the Aix-en-Provence opera and music festival and the great piano concerts given in Roque d'Anthéron.
The organ in the parish church of Saint-Rémy is of particular note and the church is the venue for numerous concerts.
An impressive and original show takes place in the 'Cathedral of Images', near the village of Les Baux-de-Provence, all year round with two different shows put on each year.

why not visit the Provençal market that travels to a different village each day, within a 20km radius of Saint-Rémy. There you will find highly colourful local ceramics, Provençal fabrics, traditional woodcraft and Camargue basketry.