Simiane-la-Rotonde, a Charming, Fortified Village along the Lavender Trail

We have explored many of the towns and villages in the Vaucluse, the French department where Sablet is located, but we have never made it to the famous Saturday morning market in the town of Apt in the Southeastern corner of the Vaucluse.

Since I was meeting cousins Ginette, Pascale, and Yoan in Apt to see the purple lavender fields (lavender routes) and explore the villages between Apt and Banon, I got to Apt early to check out the market (I will tell you about that part of my day in a future post).

Our first stop on the lavender route was Simiane-la-Rotonde, a small, seemingly quiet village (population 584), on a hill (2132 feet elevation) overlooking a plateau with lavender fields. Simiane-la-Rotonde is located at the Southwestern end of the Alpes de Haute Provence department, close to the border of the Vaucluse.

Simiane-la-Rotonde

The village dates to the 11th century when a prieuré (monastery) was established in Simiane-la-Rotonde by the Saint-André Abbey in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon that I told you about here.

Simiane-la-Rotonde street

The name of the village comes from the Simiane-Agoult family who were powerful rulers in Haute Provence and from Rotonde, a large conical structure at the top of the village.

Narrow walkway in Simiane-la-Rotonde

As you wander around the village, you will come upon the "Maison des Poupées" (Doll's House), a 17th century house with more than 1000 exhibits, dating from 1920 to the present day.

La Maison des Poupées (Doll's House)

We strolled down narrow stone-paved streets lined with tall stone houses that date from the 17th and 18th centuries.

The cousins pause for pictures along one of the stone-paved streets

Simiane-la-Rotonde is one of the main areas for production of lavender. In 1979, Alain Cassan, a farmer who is also the current mayor of the village founded the "Société Coopérative Agricole des Plantes à Parfum de Provence" (Agricultural Cooperative Society of Aromatic Plants of Provence), the largest in France.

Local distilleries transform the cut plants into essence which the Cooperative collects and stores. Its 330 members produce 424 tons of essential oils, which accounts for 34% of total French production of fine lavender, used to make perfume, pharmaceuticals and aromatherapy, and for 40% of total French production of lavendin, used for washing powders, detergents, and cosmetics.

Archway through a stone wall

The Rotonde was built at the end of the 12th century to strengthen the defense of the castle. It was saved in 1841 by Prosper Mérimée, who had it declared a historic monument. It is 62 feet tall, the massive exterior hides a ceremonial room with a twelve-ribbed cupola, beautiful stonework, and columns decorated with stylised leaves of water plants, and sculpted human masks.

The Rotonde

Before lavender, glass-making flourished and the village became prosperous and wealthy families built houses along the paved narrow flower-decorated streets. Mullioned windows, carved stone lintels, and diamond-shaped decorations on the wooden doors are proof that aristocratic and wealthy bourgeois lived here between the 16th and 18th centuries.

Simiane-la-Rotonde street

Besides production of lavender, there is limited commerce in the village except for one goat cheese maker, a bakery, a small food store, a bookstore, a rose nursery and pottery studio.

Simiane-la-Rotonde street

Every August, an international early music festival, “Les Riches Heures Musicales de la Rotonde” takes place in the Rotonde. The Festival specialises in instrumental and vocal early music, performed by famous artists and Provençal musicians.

17th - 18th century Pellissier-les-Granges House

As we walked along the stone-paved streets past the stone houses, all of which are creamed-colored, I thought about the other people who have walked these same streets during the past three-hundred years; what were their clothes like, where did they live, how did they light and heat their homes and what did they do for a living?

Pottery studio

Although there is a 16th century, covered market hall, I can't find anything to indicate that there is a weekly market in Simiane-la-Rotonde so I assume that villages go shop at the weekly markets in Apt, Banon, or Forcalquier.

Pretty flowers in front of the 16th century covered market hall

If you go to Simiane-la-Rotonde, make sure you check out the great views over the countryside from the top of the village near the Rotonde and from the covered market hall.

A view over the lower village and lavender fields from the covered market hall

Have a great week. Bonne journée mes amis et à bientôt.

Sénanque Abbey Lavender Field

One of the images most associated with Provence are pictures of bright lavender fields in bloom. Lavender is native to the Southern Alps and grows best at higher elevations and thrives in the chalky soils and hot dry climate of Provence.

Since true lavender grows best over 3000 feet elevation, a hybrid, Lavandin, more productive but less fragrant than true Lavender, was developed and is now cultivated on the lower slopes and in the valleys.

The lavender fields bloom from late June to the end of summer depending upon the area and weather. The best time to see lavender in bloom is the last week of June to the end of July.

It is only a single field, but our favorite place to see lavender is at the Senanque Abbey, a Cistercian abbey near the village of Gordes, founded in the 12th century.

Stretching out from the abbey buildings is a valley of lavender fields which are in full flower and fragrance during the summer and harvested late June – July.

Most of the picking of lavender is done by machinery but the inaccessible or closely-planted older fields are still picked by hand. The lavender grown in the fields around the Sénanque Abbey are harvested by hand.

After drying for two or three days, the picked lavender is sent to a distillery equipped with a classic still.

One hundred kilos of lavender blossoms are need to produce one liter of essence. The same amount of lavandin blossoms will yield 10 liters of essence.


Lavender essence is reserved for the perfume and cosmetic industries whereas the hybrid Lavandin essence is used for perfumed laundry soap and cleaning products.

It looks almost like an ocean of lavender.

Every Provencal market has multiple vendors selling dried lavender and products made from lavender including soap and honey. If you like honey, you have to try lavender honey; its delicious.

Three Cistercian abbeys called the Three Sisters of Provence were founded in the 12th century; Sénanque was the first of the Three Provencal Sisters.

The Sénanque Abbey is located about 45 km from our home in Sablet. It is nestled in a small canyon of the Senancole, which opens onto the Vaucluse plateau, the buildings of the Sénanque Abbey stand in an isolated spot.

There is a lovely view of the Abbey coming from Gordes on the D 177.

On arrival into the Abbey parking lot, you will see the Abbey's east end, set in a sea of lavender, in the summer months and bathed in sunlight.

Access to the Abbey is by tour only.

The church is aligned to the north, instead of to east, because of the narrow width of the valley in which it sits. The Sénanque Abbey does not have a main entrance door because the church was built only for the monks and lay brothers, not the public.



The cloister forms an enclosed courtyard in the center of the Abbey, surrounded by the cloister aisles on all four sides. The cloister aisles are passages between the church, the dormitory and other parts of the Abbey.

At the time of our last visit, there are 6 monks who live and work at the Abbey.

We think the Abbey is best seen in conjunction with a visit to Gordes or Roussillon.