Alpilles
Encyclopedia
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
in Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
, southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, located about 20 km (12.4 mi) south of Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
at approximately 43°45′00"N 4°50′00"E.
Geography
The range is an extension of the much larger LuberonLuberon
The Luberon or Luberon Massif , also called Lubéron, has a maximum altitude of 1,256 m and an area of about 600 km²...
range. Although it is not high - some 387 m (1,270 ft) at its highest point - the Alpilles range stands out disproportionately, as it rises apparently sheer from the plain of the Rhône
Rhône River
The Rhone is one of the major rivers of Europe, rising in Switzerland and running from there through southeastern France. At Arles, near its mouth on the Mediterranean Sea, the river divides into two branches, known as the Great Rhone and the Little Rhone...
valley. The range is about 25 km long by about 8 to 10 km wide, running in an east-west direction between the Rhône and Durance
Durance
The Durance is a major river in south-eastern France.Its source is in the south-western Alps, in Montgenèvre ski resort near Briançon and it flows south-west through the following départements and cities:* Hautes-Alpes: Briançon, Embrun.* Alpes-de-Haute-Provence: Sisteron, Manosque.* Vaucluse:...
rivers.
The landscape of the Alpilles is one of arid limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
peaks separated by dry valleys.
Flora and fauna
The lower slopes are planted with oliveOlive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
and almond
Almond
The almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...
trees. Kermes
Kermes
Kermes may refer to :* Kermes , a genus of insects* Kermes , a red dye made from the bodies of Kermes insects* Kermes oak also called Quercus coccifera, the tree on which the Kermes insects traditionally fed...
oaks and pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
s also grow there. Much of the range is bare rock or stony ground covered with scrub and maquis.
The highest parts of the range are a nature reserve inhabited by a number of rare species, including Bonelli's eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
, the Egyptian vulture
Vulture
Vulture is the name given to two groups of convergently evolved scavenging birds, the New World Vultures including the well-known Californian and Andean Condors, and the Old World Vultures including the birds which are seen scavenging on carcasses of dead animals on African plains...
and eagle owl
Eurasian Eagle Owl
The Eurasian Eagle-Owl is a species of eagle owl resident in much of Eurasia. It is also one of the largest types of owls.-Description:The Eagle Owl is a large and powerful bird, smaller than the Golden Eagle but larger than the Snowy Owl...
. Some of these species were introduced in the Alpilles in the 1980s.
Miscellaneous
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
, who painted many images of the Alpilles' landscapes during his time in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.-Geography:...
on the north side of the mountains. The painting was given by van Gogh to his Friend Eugene Boch
Eugène Boch
Eugène Boch was a Belgian painter, born in Saint-Waast, Nord, Hainaut, and the younger brother of Anna Boch, a founding member of Les XX....
The 12 municipalities covering the Alpilles area are to be declared a "Regional Parc", placing the area under the protection of the Natura 2000
Natura 2000
Natura 2000 is an ecological network of protected areas in the territory of the European Union.-Origins:In May 1992, the governments of the European Communities adopted legislation designed to protect the most seriously threatened habitats and species across Europe. This legislation is called the...
Environmental Protection Plan of the European Union.
Alphonse Daudet
Alphonse Daudet
Alphonse Daudet was a French novelist. He was the father of Léon Daudet and Lucien Daudet.- Early life :Alphonse Daudet was born in Nîmes, France. His family, on both sides, belonged to the bourgeoisie. The father, Vincent Daudet, was a silk manufacturer — a man dogged through life by misfortune...
's 1885 novel Tartarin sur les Alpes, which is a sequel to the 1872 Tartarin de Tarascon
Tartarin de Tarascon
Tartarin of Tarascon is an 1872 novel written by the French author Alphonse Daudet.-Synopsis:It tells the burlesque adventures of Tartarin, a local hero of Tarascon, a small town in southern France, whose invented adventures and reputation as a swashbuckler finally force him to travel to a very...
, takes place in the Alpilles.
The French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
to the German occupation of France during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
began in the Alpilles.
Principal sights in and around the Alpilles
- FontvieilleFontvieille, Bouches-du-RhôneFontvieille is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.-Population:-Sights:* Alphonse Daudet's windmill* Barbegal aqueduct and mill, a Roman watermill complex located on the territory of the commune-External links:* *...
and Alphonse DaudetAlphonse DaudetAlphonse Daudet was a French novelist. He was the father of Léon Daudet and Lucien Daudet.- Early life :Alphonse Daudet was born in Nîmes, France. His family, on both sides, belonged to the bourgeoisie. The father, Vincent Daudet, was a silk manufacturer — a man dogged through life by misfortune...
's windmill - Les Baux de ProvenceLes Baux de ProvenceLes Baux-de-Provence is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France, in the province of Provence. It has a spectacular position in the Alpilles mountains, set atop a rocky outcrop crowned with a ruined castle overlooking the plains to the south. Its names refers to its site...
- Saint-Rémy-de-ProvenceSaint-Rémy-de-ProvenceSaint-Rémy-de-Provence is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.-Geography:...
and the ruins of the Roman city of GlanumGlanumGlanum was an oppidum, or fortified town, founded by a Celto-Ligurian people called the Salyens in the 6th century B.C.,. It was known for the healing power of its spring. It became a Roman city in Provence until its abandonment in 260 A.D.... - ArlesArlesArles is a city and commune in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the former province of Provence....
- OrgonOrgonOrgon is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.-Geography:Neighbouring villages and small towns include Les Baux-de-Provence, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and Cavaillon...
- Montmajour AbbeyMontmajour AbbeyMontmajour Abbey is a fortified Benedictine monastery built between the 10th and 13th century on what was then an island five kilometers north of Arles, in the Bouches-du-Rhône département, Provence, in the south of France.The Abbey is noted for its 11th-14th century graves, carved in the rock,...
- EygalièresEygalièresEygalières is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.-Population:-External links:*...
- Saint-Étienne-du-GrèsSaint-Étienne-du-GrèsSaint-Étienne-du-Grès is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
- EyguièresEyguièresEyguières is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.-Population:-External links:*...
- LamanonLamanonLamanon is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.North of the village the archaeological site of Grottes de Calès represent a cave dwelling from prehistoric to medieval times.-Population:-References:*...
- MourièsMourièsMouriès is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.-Population:-Economy:Mouriès is known for its olive oil production, calling itself "the olive oil capital of France" . There are still two working olive oil mills in town, including one which allows tours...