Small towns offer beauty, variety

Valensole

It's one of the best places to watch lavenders. Be careful of bees when you're in the lavender field, and don't damage the flowers. Villagers have grown lavender for generations and earn a living by lavender planting and lavender-essence oil making. They hold the annual Lavender Festival on the third Sunday of July, when the villagers dress up in traditional costumes and parade on the street with lavender produce. As is the case in other Provence towns, you can buy perfume, essence oil, and soap made of lavender.

Roussillon