The South of France-East Half Part 14

Many of the inns, and even of the owners, are at first sight forbidding, but after a little kindly conversation the aspect of things improves rapidly. In the higher regions the agricultural products are potatoes and hay. In the next zone are wheat, chestnut, walnut, apple, pear, and cherry trees, cultivated on terraces supported by low stone walls of rough unhewn stones. Vineyards are in the lowest zone, on the sunny side of the mountains. The cattle are of a goodly size, mostly cream-coloured and light brown, with large bones and white horns generally tipped with black.

At the fairs, besides every kind of country produce, girls and grown-up women offer their hair for sale. The best do not yield above 8s., and many only 2s. 6d. or 3s. When the bargain is made a woman shears it off in the same way as sheep are shorn, leaving only a little in front. It is all over in two minutes, twisted into a hank, and thrust into a sack. Instead of receiving money, they usually take the value in cloth and ribbons. The standard occupation of the females during their long winters is lace-making.

Among the remarkable sights in Ardeche are the volcanic rocks, Mont Mezenc and the Gerbier-de-Joncs, above the source of the Loire. The most central station of the diligences is Le Cheilard (see page 83).

After Valence the railway traverses some of the most picturesque parts of the valley of the Rhone. At Mornas, 44 m. S. from Valence and 23 m. N. from Avignon, begins the region of the olives.

[Headnote: LIVRON.]

{395}{142} +LIVRON+, pop. 4500, on the Drome, at some distance from the station.

Restaurants at station. Inns in the town. On the other side of the Rhone, connected by railway bridge, is La Voulte, 1 m. W. (see p. 82).

A highway, partly by rail and partly by diligence, extends from Livron, 68 m. east, to Aspres on the line between Gren.o.ble and Ma.r.s.eilles. As far as the Pa.s.s de Cabres the road ascends the picturesque and well-cultivated valley of the Drome, where there is a large Protestant population, nearly every village having its Temple Protestant (see maps, pages 26, 46, and 56).

[Headnote: CREST.]

11 miles E. from Livron by rail is Crest, pop. 6000. _Hotels:_ Bonsans-Reboul, the best; opposite the France; and on the promenade, by the side of the river and the bridge, the inn Pont de la Drome. The omnibuses of the two hotels await pa.s.sengers. Crest is situated partly on the Drome and partly on the steep sides of a high hill. At the foot, in the market-place, are the parish church and the Bibliotheque.

Straight up from the bridge by the R. des Cordeliers, and a flight of 116 steps, is the entrance to the poor church of N. D. de la Garde, attached to the "Asile" for young children. A little higher up are the hospital and church. Above the "Asile" is the entrance to the enclosure, on which stands a huge structure, partly Roman and partly the remains of a castle which was added to it in the 13th cent. The highest side is 170 ft. above the ground, and the other three 148 ft., ascended by 260 steps. Although so high, the view is limited by the high side, into which visitors are not admitted. The concierge lives below in the town, near the hotel. The best way up the hill is by the first narrow street, left from the hotel, the Rue de la Carriere, which continue to a stone lettered "limite de l'Octroi," whence ascend by the path, right, to the Calvary, where there is a splendid view of the valley of the Drome.

[Map: Ardeche: Its Vineyards and Extinct Volcanoes]

[Headnote: SAOU.]

Coaches daily from Crest to Montelimart, 22 m. S.W. (see Index); also to Beaufort, 12 m. N.E., on the Geroanne. From the copious source of the Geroanne are occasionally thrown up blind trout. 3 miles from Beaufort is the picturesque gorge of Ombleze. Coach also to Bourdeaux, 16 m. S., pa.s.sing Saou, 9 m. S. from Crest (see map, p. 56). Saou, p.r.o.nounced Sou, pop. 1200, is a poor dirty village on the Vebre.

_Inn:_ H. Lattard. Mixed up with and built into the surrounding squalid houses are the remains of the abbey church and buildings of Saint Tiers, founded in the 9th cent. The best parts are the wall and square tower near the Mairie. The remains of the church are within the court of a stable. Near it is the little parish church, 12th and 13th cents. Saou is visited princ.i.p.ally on account of the beauty of the narrow valley of the Vebre, between two ranges of wooded mountains, from 4000 to 5000 ft. above the sea, with sand and limestone strata piled up into vertical cliffs and twisted into strange fantastic forms. It is 8 m. long, and from a few yards to 2 m. wide. At the commencement or west end, and on the right or N. side of the stream, is the Roche Colombe, 4595 feet above the sea, and opposite, on the other side, is the Roc, an isolated cliff like the shaft of a column.

Mt. Colombe has also a columnar cliff, and at the base a house called the Donjon de Lastic, 14th cent., and a little farther down a square house, with two round turrets, called the Chateau d'Eurre. The best parts of the valley are this entrance and the east end, or its termination, where the Roche Courbe or Veillou rises to the height of 5324 ft. above the sea, and on which is the source of the Vebre. At the foot of Mt. Pomeyrol, about a mile from the entrance, the valley becomes so narrow that there is scarcely sufficient room for the stream to pa.s.s through. 2 m. farther up is the villa of Tibur, and, a little beyond, the terminus of the valley.

[Headnote: BOURDEAUX. DIEULEFIT.]

Coach from Saou to Bourdeaux, 7 m. S. Bourdeaux, pop. 1800. _Inns:_ Blanc; Pet.i.t; Temple Protestant. On both sides of the Roubion, 8 m. N.

from Dieulefit. On the left side of the river is the old town, composed of squalid houses and execrably paved steep lanes, creeping up the hill, crowned with the ruins of a large castle founded in the 8th cent. Agriculture and the rearing of silkworms are the chief industries. Although Bourdeaux is hardly 8 m. from Dieulefit the courrier requires 2 hours to perform the journey, as a high mountain ridge, the Dieu-Grace, intervenes between the two places.

Dieulefit, pop. 5000. _Inns:_ H. du Levant; Temple Protestant. On the Jabron at the foot of Mont de Dieu-Grace, 17 m. E. from Montelimart, between which two towns several coaches run daily. In the town are silk, cotton, and cloth mills, and in the suburbs potteries where a coa.r.s.e kitchen ware is made. The princ.i.p.al towns pa.s.sed on the road to Montelimart are Poet-Lavat, 3? m.; La Begude, 7 m.; under Chateauneuf-de-Mazenc and Montboucher, situated on eminences at a considerable distance from the road (see map, page 56).

[Headnote: DIE.]

CREST TO ASPRES (Maps, pp. 46 and 56).

_Crest to Aspres, 57 miles east by Die._--The road as far as the Pa.s.s de Cabres follows the course of the Drome. The first town pa.s.sed is Saillans, 9 m. E. from Crest, pop. 1800. _Inns:_ Lambert; Latour. In a ravine of the Drome, 6 m. farther, is Pontaix, similarly situated.

23 m. E. from Crest, and 34 m. W. from Aspres, is Die, pop. 4000, the princ.i.p.al town in the valley of the Drome, which here receives the Merosse. _Inns:_ St. Dominique; Alpes--the coach stops between them; eglise Protestante. The Clairette de Die is a thin white wine, drank during its first year; in the second it is apt to deteriorate. Coach to Chatillon, 12 m. S.E. Die, on the Drome, is in a small plain surrounded by mountains, of which the most remarkable is Mont Glandaz, 6648 ft. above the sea, flanked by great b.u.t.tress cliffs. On the top is an undulating plateau, covered with _small_ stones and gra.s.s; 5 hrs. required for the ascent. At the foot of the mountain is the rustic but not uncomfortable establishment of Sallieres-les-Bains; pension per day, with baths, 9 frs. The treatment is called "Sudations resineuses." The bath resembles a large oven, in which, after having been heated with resinous fir-wood, the patients sit as in a Turkish bath. Open from 15th June to 15th September. The landlord is likewise proprietor of a large part of Mt. Glandaz, whence he receives his supplies of fir-wood. On the top of a hill on the other side of the Drome is a similar establishment, called the Martouret, pension 12 frs. The way to it strikes off the main road opposite the eminence, on which is the chapel of Notre Dame, commanding a very good view of the valley. At the entrance into Die from Crest, at one of the old gateways, a road strikes off to the left, which makes the tour of the ruins of the castle, amidst vines and mulberry trees. At the other end of the town, near the viaduct, is a much better gateway or Roman triumphal arch, fronting the "Place" St. Marcel. The parish church has been rebuilt, excepting the narthex.

[Headnote: LUC. ASPRES.]

From Die the road to Aspres is continued by another diligence, which changes horses at +LUC+ en Diois, pop. 940. _Inn:_ Du Levant; eglise Protestante, 10 m. S. from Die, or 23 N.W. from Aspres. A poor town, among vineyards and walnut trees, on the Drome, at the foot of high mountains. Nearly a mile up the river the narrow gorge becomes almost closed by huge fantastic ma.s.ses of conglomerate which have fallen from the adjoining cliffs. 9 m. farther up the valley is the village of Beaurieres (_Inn_, where the coach changes horses). The ascent is now commenced by a beautiful and excellent road, of the Col de Cabres, 15 m. S. from Luc, and 4923 ft. high. On the pa.s.s, 2 m. from Beaurieres, is La Baume, with the cave of Baumette, and a waterfall 195 ft. high. 4 miles from Baume, and 3 from Aspres, is St. Pierre d'Argenson, with a sparkling acidulous chalybeate spring, grateful to the palate and invigorating to the system, and forming a refreshing mixture with the wine of Aspres, which is thin, and is at its best when 2 years old. Aspres, pop. 800, is situated on the railway, 126 m. N. from Ma.r.s.eilles, and 77 m. S. from Gren.o.ble. The coach sets down pa.s.sengers either at the station or at the inn H. Ferdinand.

The church has been rebuilt, excepting the portal, which has on the tympanum a curious representation of the Trinity.

[Headnote: MONTeLIMART.]

miles from PARIS miles to Ma.r.s.eILLES

{412}{125} +MONTeLIMART+, pop. 12,000, situated at the confluence of the Roubion and Jabron with the Rhone. _Hotels:_ near the station, the France; in the town the Poste; the Princes. The office of the coaches for Le Teil, on the W. side of the Rhone; for Grignan, p. 49; Dieulefit, p. 47; Bourdeaux, p. 47; and Nyons, p. 50; is near the hotels Poste and Princes. Up the Grande Rue is the princ.i.p.al church. On the opposite side of it is the Place d'Armes, with the Post Office, the Palais de Justice, and the Hotel de Ville. At the top of the first flight of steps in the Hotel de Ville is a marble slab 1 yard long and 2 ft. wide, bearing in Latin a charter of the town engraved in 1198. At the end of the street, the Rue Porte-Neuve, off the "Place," is the Temple Protestant.

Montelimart is famous for white almond-cake, "Nougat," of which the best is in the shops in the Grande Rue. On an eminence on the side of the town farthest from the station are the ancient citadel and the tour de Narbonne, 11th cent. Montelimart, originally a city of the Seglauni, became a Roman settlement under the name of Montilium, which was changed afterwards into Monteil-d'Adhemar by a powerful family, who came into possession of it in the days of Charlemagne. To the same family belonged also Rochemaure, on the opposite side of the Rhone (see page 92, and map page 56).

Omnibuses to the sparkling chalybeate spring of Bondonneau, 2 m. S.E.

Two coaches daily to Grignan, 15 m. S.E. from Montelimart; one by Alan and Reauville, the other goes round by Donzere, 4 m. longer.

(See map, page 56.)

According to Mr. Murray (p. 109) in the village of Alan, half-way between Montelimart and Grignan, "there existed down to 1802 the first white mulberry tree planted in France. It was brought from Naples by Guy Pope de St. Auban, seigneur of Alan, one of the soldiers who accompanied Charles VIII. on his Italian campaign, in 1494." The mulberry tree occupies a much wider zone in the south of France than the olive (see map, page 56).

[Headnote: GRIGNAN. MARQUISE DE SeVIGNe.]

+Grignan+, pop. 1900; _Inn:_ Sevigne, is built on the slopes of a hill on the top of which, 100 ft. above the "Place," are the gardens and ugly half-ruined and half-inhabited castle where Mme. Sevigne died.

The former Salle du Roi has been converted into a picture-gallery, containing upwards of 300 paintings, among which the most interesting are--the portraits of Madame and her daughter, by Mignard. About half-way up the hill is the church, commenced in the 12th cent. In front of the altar a white marble slab, 2 ft. long by 1 wide, bears the following inscription:-- "Cy Git Marie de Rabutin Chantal, Marquise de Sevigne. Decede le 18 Avril 1696." Above the well, in the "Place," is a bronze statue of her with corkscrew curls. About m.

from the town is what was one of her favourite walks to an overhanging ledge of sandstone called the Grotte de Roche-Courbiere. To visit it, descend from the inn, then take the first byeroad right, by a row of poplars to a short stair. A coach runs from Grignan to Nyons, 20 m.

S.E. by Valreas and Taulignan. +Valreas+ (p.r.o.nounce the "s"), 8 m.

from Nyons and 22 from Orange, pop. 950; _Inn:_ H. du Nord, is partly surrounded with its old walls, garnished with square towers and pierced by narrow gateways. Taulignan, 17 m. N.W. from Nyons by Valreas and 11 m. by Rousset, _Inn:_ H. du Commerce, pop. 1200, is also partly surrounded with its old walls.

{420}{117} +DONZERE.+ H. du Commerce. Romanesque church with handsome spire. Four and a half miles south is +Pierrelatte+ station, and the terminus of the unfinished railway to Nyons, 15 miles from Grignan.

Coach from Pierrelatte to St. Paul-Trois-Chateaux, fare 6 sous, time 45 minutes. This, the Roman Augusta-Tricastinorum, contains an interesting cathedral of the 12th cent., restored. Many Roman relics have been found in the neighbourhood.

[Headnote: LA CROISIERE.]

{432}{105} +LA CROISIERE.+ Two small inns at station.

Omnibus awaits pa.s.sengers for Pont Saint-Esprit, H. de l'Europe, 3 m.

W. on the other side of the Rhone by an avenue of poplars. Fare, 40 c.

The bridge is 2756 ft. long, has 20 arches, was commenced in 1265 and finished in 1309. Till 1865 it had 21 arches, when the two at the W.

end were demolished and converted into one large iron arch for the convenience of the steamboat to pa.s.s through. (For Pont Saint-Esprit, see page 98).

Diligence at La Croisiere station for Nyons, 29 m. E. by the valleys of the Lez and the Aigues, and the town of Bollene, pop. 6000. _Inn:_ Croix Blanche, on the Lez, 4 m. E. Manufactures of fire-bricks and clay-tubing. 7 m. E., Suze-le-Rousse, pop. 2200. Coach here to Mansis. 12 m. E., Tulette, pop. 1300; _Inn:_ Vigne. Horses changed here. 15 m. E., St. Maurice, pop. 1000; _Inn:_ Lion d'Or. Near the village of Vinsobres a cross-road leads to the highway between Nyons and Vaison. At Nyons the coach stops in the "Place" in front of the H.

du Louvre; whence the diligences start for Grignan and Montelimart (see map, page 56).

[Headnote: NYONS.]

+NYONS+, on the Aigues, pop. 4000. _Hotels:_ Louvre, in the Place; Voyageurs, in a corner. Temple Protestant next the hospital. Nyons, surrounded by high mountains, is famous for its mild springs, and therefore eminently fitted for those returning from the Riviera. The orange and palm do not grow here, but abundance of mulberry, almond, fig, peach, and pear trees. In the oak forests are remarkably fine truffles. Silk mills and the preserving of fruit and truffles supply the princ.i.p.al industries. The old town, called Les Forts, is built on an eminence partly surrounded with its old walls garnished with square towers, 14th cent. The vieux chateau, or centre tower, has been converted by the curate into a chapel surmounted with an image of the "immaculately conceived." The part of the town below is called Les Halles, whose dirty streets are bordered with thick heavy arches. The rest of the town, extending to the Aigues, is called the Bourg. The bridge, built in 1341, is of one arch and considerably higher in the centre than at the ends.

[Headnote: THE PONTIAS BREEZE.]

Behind the old town is the ridge called the Col-du-Dives, on which is the cavern, or rather hole, whence it is reported (most absurdly) that the night-breeze called the Pontias issues. In winter this wind is very cold, and blows from 5 P.M. to 9 A.M. In summer it is pleasant, and blows from 9 P.M. to 7 A.M. The peculiarity is, that the degree of force is constant, and never breaks out into gusts. To go to the cave, commence from the foot of the tower of the church and ascend by the Rue Pousterle, having on the left the old town-walls. Beyond the last tower a path strikes off to the right, which take, and ascend to a small chapel on the top of the ridge, pa.s.sing at about half-way a pavilion. Or, if preferred, continue the road from the tower to the part of the ridge where there is a gap; whence take the path at the back of the ridge leading to the chapel. Those who have ascended by this latter way retrace their steps from the chapel by the same path for 116 yards; while those who have come by the other go 116 yards beyond the chapel. Then about 30 yards to the left of the path will be observed the thin ledge of a rock overlying a small cavity, which is the entrance to the Pontias hole, of great depth, but otherwise of insignificant dimension. Among the neighbouring calcareous strata are several crevices. The view of the valley of the Aigues from this hill is very beautiful. The ascent takes 35 minutes.

NYONS TO SERRES.

+Nyons to Serres+ (see map, p. 56), 41 miles east by the valleys of the Aigues and Bleme, bounded on both sides by high mountains. Time, 7 to 8 hours. Fare, 7 frs. Most of the towns pa.s.sed are at a considerable height above the road, and sometimes on account of the steepness of the banks cannot be seen from it. The first village pa.s.sed is Les Piles, situated on the road 3 m. from Nyons, and 3 m.

from the gorge "Des 30 Pas," one of the excursions from Nyons.

A little farther E. is Curnier, on a hill on the S. side of the river, here crossed by a bridge. Then follows Sahune, also on a hill on the S. side of the river. The gorge now becomes very narrow and the mountains precipitous, and, having pa.s.sed under Villeperdrix, the road crosses to the S. side of the river and arrives at the station for St.