Pernes-les-Fontaines

At the foot of Mont Ventoux, surrounded by numerous sunny vineyards is located Pernes-les-Fontaines, also called the Pearl of the ‘Comtat’. Pernes-les-Fontaines is a joy for the eyes with typical Provencal steeply stone streets or 'ruelles the calade', beautifully landscaped gardens, shaded squares dotted with century-old plane trees and its twenty monuments which are evidence of a prestigious past when Pernes was still the capital of 'le Comtat venaissin’. The beauty of this town in northwestern Provence (Vaucluse), has not gone unnoticed in France and therefore has been given two labels: the 'Plus Beaux Détours de France’(the most beautiful detours of France) and ‘Ville et Métiers d 'Art' (City of crafts).

As the name suggests, Pernes-les-Fontaines is famous for its 40 fountains you can find everywhere in the village. One of the best known is the Gigot fountain designed in 1757 by the same architect as the Cormoran Fountain (1761). It has its unusual name from the shape of some ornaments reminiscent of a leg. Other fountains worth seeing are the fontaine des Augustins, fontaine de l'Hôpital, fontaine de l'Hôtel de ville, fontaine-du Portail Neuf, Reboul fontaine, fontaine du cour de la Republique, fontaine du Cormoran (1761) and fontaine de l'Hôpital.

From a distance Pernes is impressive to see, with impressive fortress ramparts and gates that enclosed the old town. The first fortifications date from the 14th century and were originally constructed from fifteen gates and eight towers. The Porte Notre-Dame (Our Lady) port that leads to the north side of the chapel dates from the 16th century and is with its two huge semicircular towers appear to have arisen out of the Nesque without any doubt the most spectacular of the three remaining ports. Also the 14th century Porte Villeneuve , located on the west, has a drawbridge. At the Porte Saint-Gilles', dating from the 14th century and the oldest of the three remaining ports, you can still see the inside arch with the battlements guarding against enemies. The Clock Tower (La Tour de l'Horloge), a remnant of the castle of the Comtes of Toulouse which gives a fantastic panoramic view across the plains of Comtat and the Mont Ventoux, is proof of an enriched historical past.

No less than 22 monuments of Pernes-les-Fontaines are on the National list of Monuments of France. In the heart of the old town you can still admire fourteen 'hôtels particuliers' of the past: huge luxury mansions in Provence (and in the rest of France) that were built from the 15th century in the middle of the city by the rich. These gigantic villas, consisting of several floors and inhabited only by a single family, usually have a cour (place) on the frontside  seperating the entrance and the house from the road with on both sides a row of walls where the houses of neighbors were built connected to the public road.

The chapels (Notre-Dame-de-la-Rose (17th century) and Saint-Roch (17th et 18th century)) and the various churches, including St. Augustine Church - built in 1867 on the foundations of the Augustine monastery - and the 13th-century fortress built outside the Our Lady of Nazareth Church are definitely worth a visit.

As a true Provencal village Pernes-les-Fontaines has its traditional market where you can find the best fresh local products depending the season. Every Saturday morning in the summer on Wednesday the market vendors of Pernes-les-Fontaines offer you the freshest strawberries, tomatoes, melons, courgettes and egg-plants and more local fruits, vegetables and spices.

Culturally Pernes-les-Fontaines has a lot to offer too: the village, especially in late summer presents various festivals, exhibitions, theater, concerts and Provencal traditions. The public comes to the numerous organized festivities as Font'arts, le Salon des Métiers d'Art, La Fête du Melon and the big patrimonial festival (Fête du Patrimoine ) which is held every four years and the people go back 150 years ago ........