Fontaine de Vaucluse

At the end of a deep and verdant river canyon, at the very base of a steep cliff, Vaucluse's most beautiful river springs from under the ground. The Sorgue river, whose source is one of the biggest resurgences in Europe.

As it emerges from the underground, it sometimes gushes, sometimes trickles. The "fountain", as the emerging Sorgues river is called, is nature's fantasy. The beauty of this natural site moved and inspired many writers and poets, including Petrarch, Boccace, Chateaubriand,Frédéric Mistral and René Char.

There is a footpath all along the river, up to the resurgence.

In Fontaine de Vaucluse are to be seen: the remains of the 14th-century castle, accessible on a steep footpath, the 11th century church of Notre-Dame and Saint Véran, the Petrarch Museum, the musée des santons , the Musée d'Histoire Jean Garcin : 1939-1945 , l'appel de la liberté (about the 2nd WW), le Musée du Monde Souterrain. Also see the hand-made paper mill, where the water wheel continues to use the Sorgues waters to make paper.

Canoeing and kayaking possible on the Sorgue river. 18-holes golf course nearby.