What is Venterol like?: Venterol is a protected hillside Cotes-du-Rhone wine village with its own bistro on the square, a fine restaurant, and a pastry baker offering morning-fresh baked croissants & baguettes. It has arcaded narrow streets, traditional laundry 'lavoirs' and a lovely church with one of the best wrought iron campanilis you'll ever see. A vast lavender harvest occurs in mid-July with countless tiny distilleries perfuming the air. There are sunflower fields and olive, apricot and cherry orchards. Elderly ladies still watch flocks near hamlets on the mountain slopes behind Venterol.
Village summer festivities feature fireworks, music, dining and dancing. One of Provence's liveliest Market Days occurs every Thursday in Nyons, right next door. And every Saturday in summer, a local Farmers Market holds forth in Venterol's center square. There one can purchase olive oil, honey, goat cheese, veggies from adjacent fields, homespun embroidery & Sarah's unusual home kitchen-crafted jams/jellies.
What cultural and recreational activities exist?: Nyons (1.7K) has its own Cinema Arlequin, many cafes and restaurants, an outdoor theater, tennis, supermarkets, banking & services... plus one of Provence's best Market Days. Nyons has a gigantic outdoor Municipal Swim Center with cafe ...a great place for cool family fun. Another unique public pool is found beneath the Marquise-de-Sevigny's huge Renaissance castle at Grignan. Or you can swim and hunt fossils in mountain streams right behind Venterol.
Wine tasting is everywhere! Bike amidst seas of Cotes-du-Rhone vineyards. Hike or horseback ride, following high altitude paths of the WW2 French Resistance.
Many excellent museums bejewel nearby villages: museums of the Silk Manufacturing Era, of Olive Oil, of Lavender Distillation, and even of Cardboard Box Manufacturing.
There are music, opera & dance spectaculars in Vaison-la-Romaine, Orange, Arles and (a day trip) Nimes.
In July, the Avignon Theater Festival offers a vast array of productions.
Where is Venterol situated?: Venterol is located near the Rhone, on the southern edge of the Drome Provencale and Vaucluse, in the Region of Rhone-Alpes. We are on an interesting climatic divide: To our south, a warm and dry 'Midi' climate extends past Mt. Ventoux, through the Plateau of Vaucluse and the Luberon, to the sea. To our north, reaching up to the high mountains of Vercors, the climate is cooler and vegetation greener. Flocks graze the slopes. Corn grows, sunflower and poppy fields border blazing yellow scotch broom.
Venterol is close to the Rhone River and the Gorges of Ardeche (kayaking and limestone cave exploring) to the west. Right next door (8 minutes away) are Valreas and the Knights Templer town of Richerenches, both in the ancient Enclave des Papes. Suze-la-Russe Castle, a must-visit for our rental guests, is home to the renowned International University of Wine. This Renaissance castle is owned by the Dept. of Drome, as is Grignan castle. Multilingual visits to both are possible.
