The Etang de Berre has a size of 60 sqmls, about three times larger than Crater Lake in Oregon. This makes it the largest lake in France. The water is salty, as the lake has a direct connection to the Mediterranean Ocean. Rivers add some sweet water to the mix. The southern part of the lake is very industrialized, as it is very close to Marseille. There are some refineries, and also aircraft and space industries are present. The low water level (maximum depth is about 30 ft.) helps in gaining salt from salt evaporation ponds. The northern part of the lake is still very much unspoiled, its beautiful landscape and picturesque villages might remind you of the northern Italian lakes.

Arles rise to importance started already during the Roman ages. The Romans developed the harbor to be the most important of the region, even ahead of Marseille. Of course they also built an amphitheater, then one of the largest in France. Today it is still used for the bullfights. The picturesque old town is also worth a visit. A famous guest of Arles was the painter Vincent Van Gogh. He lived here in the late 19th century and painted more than 300 pictures.

The pope did not only reside in Rome - during the Babylonian Captivity from 1309 until 1376 the seat of the pope was in Avignon. During this period, the Palais des Papes (the palace of the popes) was built and extended. Today it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage List and also one of the most important Gothic buildings. But also the surrounding old town of Avignon with its many squares, shops, restaurants and cafés is well worth a visit. And obviously you have to visit the Pont St-Bénézet, the bridge that became famous in the song "Sur le Pont d'Avignon" (On the Bridge of Avignon).

The flat area of the Camargue became popular for its animals and some of its inhabitants. The shallow lakes and rivers are home to thousands of flamingoes, and every once in a while you will see the white horses. Some of them even today roam free through the large fields and swamps. The region is also famous for the black bulls, which are raised here for the bullfights that are still popular in southern France and Spain. But also the people always liked this part of the Provence. Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is an important place of pilgrimage for the Gitanes, a part of the Roma. Vincent Van Gogh lived there as well and found inspirations for some of his famous paintings.

The Pont-du-Gard is a very impressive construction - and if you take a closer look at some of the facts, it becomes even more amazing. The Roman aqueduct is almost 2000 years old and was built with gigantic stone blocks, set together without any use of mortar. It is 902 feet long, 160 feet tall and originally consisted of 64 arcades, of which 52 are still standing today. The largest arcades have a width of about 80 feet. The Pont-du-Gard was part of a water system which carried about 8,800,000 imp gal of water per day from Uzès to Nimes. Not surprisingly, the Pont-du-Gard is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.

Chateauneuf was chosen by Pope Johannes XXII for his summer residence - his main palace was in Avignon, not in Rome. Of course he also needed a vineyard, being in southern France. Over the centuries, the wine of the region developed so well, that the Chateauneuf-du-Pape is known worldwide. The castle, which was built for Johannes, is just a ruin nowadays, but the view over the Rhone valley is well worth the steep climb.

Notre-Dame de Sénanque is a Cistercian abbey founded in 1148. It impresses visitors both with its picturesque location as well as its stunning late Romanesque to early Gothic architecture. In the course of the centuries, the monastery was partly destroyed and the Sénanque Abbey was ransacked by protestant Hungenots. With the exception of only some decades, monks have always lived at this extraordinary location. Today, they grow lavender and tend honey bees for their livelihood. The abbey is open for tours, you can visit the abbey church, cloisters, the monks' cells, the chapter house, the calefactory and more.