The beautiful villages around the Mont Ventoux: Châteauneuf-du-Pape 32 km from the holiday home
Châteauneuf-du-Pape is definitely worth a visit! You can easily walk around for two hours.
Entering via the D192 you can see 2 beautiful castles from afar: Château de la Nerthe, a wine estate which is the oldest ( 14th century), the largest (92 hectares) and yet the most beautiful wine estate in the region. At the Hotel Château des Fines Roches, you can have lunch or dinner at a reasonable price with a great view of the surroundings.
It's a nice walk to the ruins of the castle built by Pope John XXII in 1317 on top of a hill. After the departure of the Pope, the last bishops and archbishops of Avignon were responsible for it, but in the end it became abandoned. 700 years have passed since its construction and despite the ravages of war and time, the remains of the Château des Papes, bathed in sunlight, stand proudly at the top of the hill.
There are 320 winegrowers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape and you can do a tasting (sometimes for a fee) everywhere. The AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) is a French system for controlling the quality of agricultural products, which authorizes no less than thirteen grape varieties, but the use varies enormously according to the estates and they are rarely all used. It is above all Grenache which gives Châteauneuf-du-Pape its expression and dominates most of the wines.
If you are looking for a quiet restaurant, check out La maisonta or The Comptoir de La Mère Germaine. The latter is the "bistro" of the gourmet restaurant: La Mère Germaine. If you prefer to see a lively area, there is La Mule du Pape, with the Tourist Office across the street.
Just outside the village, at the lake of Lionne, you can see the Coucoo Cabanes: one of the 5 eco-friendly - domains of France which offer 'disconnection' stays in the heart of nature, to escape from everyday life and recharge your batteries. Unusual overnight stays in comfortable cabins with heated Scandinavian baths.
And maybe you know the PAC Citron? The name is the initials of the first names of Louis Guiot's children: Pierre, Annick, Christian and Colette. Neither too sweet nor too acidic, it enjoyed huge success in the mid-1960s when “PAC A LEAU” became a generic name, synonymous with lemon syrup. Pac Citron has become an emblematic drink of the Provence.
