"Villages perchés"

We have visited many ‘villages perchés’ this week, such as Gordes, Bonnieux, Venasque, Ménerbes, and of course, Roussillon. The term means literally ‘perched villages’; villages built on hilltops for safety and defense during the Middle Ages. They were generally built around the castle keep, surrounded by ramparts, with a cluster of skinny little streets, steeps stairs up passageways and archways. Key components for survival of the village perché are: a church, a fountain, the castle and ramparts. They are a real challenge to drive in (some you can’t drive in because the ‘streets’ are too skinny or steep) a challenge to park in and loads of fun to explore. Eze, which we visitied near Nice, was lovely, and we’ve visited many here in the Luberon region. Oppède-le-vieux was a fascinating town, a strange mix of ruins and inhabited buildings. The ruined castle which dominates the town was great fun to explore. No guardrails, just the occasional sign saying explore at your own peril. One great view of the Petit Luberon was on the edge of an unprotected cliff with a 300 ft dropoff!