Walking holiday in Provence: a stopover in Malaucène
Malaucène is a large, bustling town, just a few kilometres from Vaison la Romaine. It is primarily an agricultural town with cherry and apricot trees, olive trees, asparagus and vineyards blanketing the surrounding landscape. The old part of town is intramural with 15th and 18th century homes, some more lovingly restored than others! There is a large 14th century fortified church with an interesting multi-pillard clock tower as well as an old bell tower on one of the old stone entrance gates to the old town. The main street offers a wide choice of restaurants and bars as well as a small supermarket, some art galleries and pottery shops.
A traditional market and a Provençale tale on your walking tour of Provence
Wednesday is market day in Malaucène and has been for 7 centuries! The entire town centre is taken over with market stalls selling everything from fresh & seasonal fruit and veg, cheeses, meats, olives and Provençale textiles. The shaded café terraces are a great place to people watch!
Right in the centre of the old town is a small hill where a small castle, 22 metres high, once stood. Little has been documented on the castle and its use but folklore states that it was used as a dungeon or prison and at night, when the people of the village were asleep, they could hear the suffering prisoners crying out. In the 18th century the villagers feared that the long-ago abandoned castle would crumble and destroy the town, so the castle was demolished stone by stone and a promontory was built with stunning views of the surrounding landscape. A beautiful, steep climb on a pathway lined with cypress trees leads up to the viewpoint. The path is named ‘le calvaire’ in French, literally translated as ‘the ordeal’, a nod to the rumours of the castle’s past. But don’t be put off! The walk is a definite must do when you’re in Malaucène on your Provence walking holiday.
A great stopover on your walking Provence trip
The town is at the foot of the famous Mont Ventoux and one of the 3 routes leading to the summit leaves from Malaucène. On the road up to the Ventoux on the left, just a couple of kilometres out of the town is the Source de Grozeau. The source was created in roman times and used to fill the thermal baths in Vaison la Romaine via a 10km long aqueduct! Today, there is a wellness centre and Spa in Malaucène offering a range of sporting activities such as aqua biking and treatments such as cryotherapy and spa therapy.
There are many Provence hiking trails from Malaucène through the back roads to Vaison la Romaine via the small and beautiful medieval village of Le Crestet or for those seeking a more challenging hike, you can follow the trail that climbs up to Mont Ventoux summit.
