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Poppies, Near Roussillon
Photograph by William Albert Allard
Like a painting stirred to life by summer wind, Provence is where the simplest of landscapes—poppies dancing in a field outside Roussillon—can turn suddenly sublime. No wonder artists are drawn to this corner of southern France, and why everyone from Roman emperors to movie stars has wanted to claim a piece of it. But as much as it gives up to those just passing through, Provence reserves its sweetest self for those who call it home.
—From "Essence of Provence," September 1995, National Geographic magazine
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Bullfight, St.-Rémy-de-Provence
Photograph by William Albert Allard
Soaring to safety, a white-clad razeteur dodges the horns of a charging bull—and thrills spectators at a bullfight in St.-Rémy-de-Provence. Unarmed except for a small rakelike tool, razeteurs win glory by hooking a rosette from the horns. These small, half-wild Provencal bulls, revered in the Camargue region, aren't hurt during the contest, but the men who 'fight' them pay dearly if they're slow to vault the bullring wall. 'The nearer the horns,' explains one fan, 'the higher the leap.'
—From "Essence of Provence," September 1995, National Geographic magazine
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Café van Gogh, Arles
Photograph by William Albert Allard
Trading on a name, Arles's stylish Café van Gogh lures both jazz lovers and those who visit the city to pay homage to the café's namesake. Vincent van Gogh lived in Arles for a year until, after an argument with fellow artist Paul Gauguin, he sliced off part of his own ear. He spent much of the next year in a mental hospital in nearby St.-Rémy, where he painted some of his most moving works, including 'Irises' and 'Starry Night,' before his suicide in 1890.
—From "Essence of Provence," September 1995, National Geographic magazine
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Nôtre Dame de Romegas, La Tour-d'Aigues
Photograph by William Albert Allard
Faith renewed, old friends greet each other outside Nôtre Dame de Romegas church in La Tour-d'Aigues. Provence has long been Catholic country. For much of the 14th century the city of Avignon was home to the pope and was the center of Western Christendom.
—From "Essence of Provence," September 1995, National Geographic magazine
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Pont du Gard, Nîmes
Photograph by William Albert Allard
The Pont du Gard aqueduct, built by the Romans, now funnels francs into the town of Nîmes as one of France's most popular tourist attractions.
—From "Essence of Provence," September 1995, National Geographic magazine
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Ocher Quarry, Roussillon
Photograph by William Albert Allard
A symphony of earth tones, the old ocher quarry at Roussillon was once mined for 17 different tints of the mineral, which artists worldwide used to color paints and pottery. When ocher was made obsolete by cheaper, synthetic pigments, the quarry suffered losses and finally closed in 1958. Eroded and fragile, it has been declared a historical preserve; today tourist trails wind past walls of the chalk-soft rock.
—From "Essence of Provence," September 1995, National Geographic magazine
