Deep South: Provence's unknown sister has some surprises to offer

Turn on the radio, turn up the music, open the windows, and let the avenues of plane trees, peach trees, vineyards, and the scent of pine drift by: Even the drive up the winding roads into the village conjures up a holiday feeling. But instead of a welcome drink on the terrace, there's a cold shower – the heat erupts in a massive thunderstorm. The water shoots in fountains across the street, into the garden, and pours into the pool. It turns black and threatens to overflow. Wonderful… Today, of all days!

Roussillon: Love at first sight

The school is actually the vacation home of our extended family—12 people plus our dog. But this time, my husband Michael and I came alone—and are now waiting for our friends Mary and Peter. We want to show them our passion project and the Roussillon region at its best.

For as long as I can remember, summer has meant the South of France for me. I used to be drawn to the Languedoc region near Montpellier , where my parents lived for a few years when I was a child. The soundtrack of my youth was "Volare" and "Bamboleo" by the Gipsy Kings, who hail from the Camargue region between Arles and Montpellier. But my brother Christoph persuaded us to seek our holiday home happiness two hours further southwest in Roussillon, a region in the Pyrénées-Orientales department . Three years ago, he found the old school in a town of 100 people in the hills above Perpignan. My sister Annick, my mother, and I saw his enthusiasm and plunged headlong into the family adventure.

The schoolhouse was clearly a "coup de coeur," love at first sight: its dark floorboards, old walls, high ceilings, and crumbling window frames have seen a lot. From 1870 to 1940, children from the surrounding villages were taught here. Later, it served as a town hall, cultural center, and community center before being converted into a vacation home in the 1980s.

Are you looking for routines that help you unwind? Do you want to finally get a good night's sleep? Learn how to calmly handle stressful periods.

Discover now

Crickets chirp outside the windows, lemon trees and manda limes, a cross between mandarins and limes, grow in the garden, and the dragon heads on the green ceramic gutters seem to watch over everything. The surroundings are stunningly beautiful, a region that begs to be discovered. There's so much to see between the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean, and Spain isn't far either – a 40-minute drive and we can stroll along the Rambla in Figueres, the birthplace of the painterly genius Salvador Dalí.

Pure diversity

The next morning immediately reconciles me with the south. After the rain, the pine trees smell even more intense, the sky is blue, and the lemon trees are "singing" – small green fruits are popping up everywhere. We launch the French charm offensive for our friends, as Mary and Peter are avowed Italy fans.

"Sometimes sea, sometimes mountains, sometimes city: That's what's so great about this place," I enthuse. At the market in Thuir, a 15-minute drive southwest of Perpignan, we buy melons, peaches, tomatoes, and cheese from Monsieur Sébastien, where a stand-up comedian has gotten lost. The Saturday morning market is one of my favorite rituals: a leisurely breakfast of baguettes and croissants under the large plane tree, then stroll past the fruit stands and through the boutiques, trying on boho summer dresses, and enjoying a Byrrh tonic as an aperitif.

"Byrrh" may sound like beer, but it's something like the Apérol of the 1920s – the red, bittersweet liqueur wine with quinine, coffee, and cocoa notes was once exported from Thuir to all corners of the world. Naturally, we also tour the factory. We marvel at what was then the world's largest wooden barrel, which held more than a million liters, and at the loading hall, designed by Gustave Eiffel himself. Until the 1950s, over 10,000 people worked in the winery, making the town and the entrepreneurial Violet family wealthy. Open-air concerts and festivals have recently been held in the park, with its pink factory owner's villa, in the summer.

Pure life in the streets

We drive through vineyards and Cathar country in the interior and climb the ruins of Quéribus Castle , which on this day is dramatically shrouded in mist like a castle in the clouds. The Cathars, an alternative religious community in the Middle Ages, hid in their Pyrenean fortresses from persecutors from Catholic France and Spain. On clear days, you can see for miles from the castle on the rocky spire, all the way to the sea. Today we can only guess.

In Leucate, a popular windsurfing spot located between Perpignan and Narbonne, we go swimming and watch the kitesurfers leaping into the waves on the long sandy beach. We eat oysters, mussels, and "bigorneaux," sea snails served in stalls on stilts above the water. "It doesn't get any fresher than this," says the waiter in a striped shirt with a grin when he sees our skeptical looks and explains to us how to remove the snails from their shells.

In the evening, we stroll through Perpignan , the metropolis of Roussillon, which already has a very Spanish feel. The stones are still warm from the sun, and the alleys are filled with new little restaurants, cafés, and secondhand shops, testifying to a spirit of optimism. Michael, my husband, knows half the city, greets Carlo from Italy and Lotte from Berlin, who opened the charming café "studio Panino," and chats with Iris from the restaurant across the street.

Large-format black-and-white photographs stand in the square in front of the cathedral: a polar bear on an ice floe, an elephant in the savannah. The images are a sure sign that the famous photojournalism festival "Visa pour l'image" is underway. Every year in late summer, when works from all over the world adorn monasteries, churches, and city palaces, international professionals and, quite literally, onlookers stream through Perpignan, and the restaurant terraces buzz with a colorful mix of languages.

Beauty is contagious

By the time we're over rosé and tapas, Mary and Peter have to admit that France is really beautiful, too. Points for Michael and me, yay! And they haven't even seen my absolute favorite spot yet: the Hermitage of Sant Martì de la Roca.

At 5:30 a.m., we hike up the hill where the small, defiant chapel and a solitary holm oak stand. From there, you can see far across the plain to the gently rolling coastline, and on clear days, as far as Cap de Creus in Spain. On the other side, the Canigou, the sacred mountain of the Catalans, rises proudly at 2,785 meters, often covered in snow well into April. It's a magical moment as the sun rises over the sea and the sky floods orange. We simply sit there, speechless and filled with gratitude.

Nathalie's tips for Roussillon Getting there & around

In summer, night trains ("ntercités de Nuit") run from Paris to Perpignan (couch cars from €21, sncf-voyageurs.com). Alternatively, you can fly with Air France via Paris (round trip approximately €400). A cheaper option is to fly to Toulouse (approximately €190). The drive from there to Perpignan by rental car takes approximately two hours.

Stay overnight

Mas del Roc.

From the guesthouse's pool terrace, you can look across the plain to the sea. The four bungalows are scattered throughout the property beneath a rocky cliff. Double room/breakfast from €120 (Camélas, Mas del Roc, Tel. +49 468 53 05 43, masdelroc.com).

The Cabanons of L'Ouille.

Glamping under pine trees on a bay near Collioure (tents and cabins, some with jacuzzis). Once the daytime swimmers have left, the beach becomes quiet and peaceful. Tent for two, including breakfast, minimum two nights, from €360 (Collioure, Plage de l'Ouille, Tel. +49 628 138235, louille.fr).

La Figuera.

The only accommodation (with a crêperie) in the picture-book village of Le Castelnou, idyllically situated in the steps below the castle. Each of the five rooms is different. Those dreaming of a small hotel in the south can also purchase the house. Double room with breakfast from €90, minimum three nights (Castelnou, Rue de la Font d'Aval, Tel. +49 6 59 35 40 00, la-figuera.com).

Enjoy

Robinson Xiringuito.

A desert island feeling on the long sandy beach: laze on a lounger and watch the waves, wrap yourself in a sarong at lunch and eat grilled fish (from 25 euros), and sip a mojito in the evening – a perfect day (Canet-en-Roussillon, Prom. Charles Trenet, Tel. 062 62 34 22, facebook.com/robinsonxiringuito/).

The Caves Bistrot.

Chef Jean-Baptiste creates delicious dishes, often with an original twist. Caroline takes care of the guests, and the terrace, directly across from the "Byrrh" winery, offers truly pleasant seating. Highly recommended: the lunch menu for around €22. Reservations are essential (Thuir, Rue Graffan, Tel. +49 468 35 14 16).

The Petit Bigorneau.

"Le Petit Bigorneau" is one of the stalls built on stilts in the water near Leucate. Seafood comes directly from the lagoon to the wooden tables (Leucate, Tel. 04 68 44 99 80 lepetitbigorneau.fr)

Cheese & Good Mood

On Saturday, there's a market in Thuir, a small town at the foot of the Pyrenees. Colorful tomatoes, sweet peaches, olives, cheese, clothes, corkscrews: you'll find it all here! Afterwards, people meet for aperitifs in the surrounding bars and cafés (8 a.m.–12:30 p.m., aspres-thuir.com).

Shopping

The Canvases of the Sun

The furniture store on the square in front of Perpignan Cathedral is a great source of inspiration, and the colorful striped fabrics bring the South into your home: as tablecloths, placemats, or deckchairs (lestoilesdusoleil.com).

Experience

Cathar castles

Quéribus, Peyrepertuse and Montségur are some of the most famous fortresses of the Cathars, an early religious community surrounded by numerous legends (payscathare.org).

Hike

The region boasts some great routes – in the Pyrenees, but also along the sea. One of the most beautiful routes is the "Sentier littoral," the coastal path from bay to bay, along the steep coast from Argelès to Cerbère: a total of 87 kilometers long. Those who prefer can also take the bus for part of the route (info: tourisme-pyrenees-mediterranee.com).

Try

Holiday homes for rent in Roussillon are available at fewo-direkt.de, airbnb.de, and gites-de-france.com. Or check in via a completely different home exchange – via homeexchange.com

Go and be amazed

From late August to mid-September, the famous reportage photography festival "Visa pour l'image" takes place in Perpignan. The impressive works of renowned photographers are shown throughout the city – admission is free (visapourlimage.com).

Good to know

July and August are school holidays in France, and it gets crowded everywhere, sometimes quite a bit. In the off-season, however, in June or September, you might even be lucky enough to have the beach all to yourself.

phone

The area code for France is 00 33.

Brigitte

#Topics