Palette+Place: Roussillon, France

We came to Roussillon after a long leisurely French lunch filled with delicious food and wine, so, needless to say, we weren’t in the best condition to start a touring adventure… but once there, we were in for such a rich colorful treat our eyes became wide open!

A town in the Luberon area of the South of France, Roussillon is at the base of Monts de Vaucluse. It is quite unlike many of the typical Southern French hill towns in that it is painted in rich reds, rusted oranges, golden yellows, and dark greens of the pine trees. With the striking Provençal blue skies, it offers quite a feast for the eyes.

We didn’t get a chance to tour the small village (filled with much of the same palette), but had a lovely walk through the Sentier des Ocres park to see the ochre filled clay cliffs. (This hike is not strenuous, but the surfaces are uneven when walking). The palette of colors on this walk is almost surreal — rust reds, golden yellows, and even hints of maroon and pinks and purples… well worth the small entrance fee to see such a sight.

I didn’t bring my sketch book at the time, but wish I had. Even a water color wash to mimic the colors would have been a wonderful souvenir.