Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, in the Luberon area of Provence, is a small village with a big distinction. Its name comes from the spring that is the source of the Sorgue River, and that spring is the largest in France, fifth-largest in the world, pushing out 630 million cubic meters of water a year...over 166 billion gallons.
In summer, the spring (above) is less impressive, putting out less than a fifth of the spring flow. Until recently, no one knew how deep under the earth the spring rose from. Jacques Cousteau and another diver were almost killed in a 1946 exploration, and it was not until a robot was used in the 1980s that it was determined that the depth is just over 300 meters.
As you can imagine, the town is built around the water, as is its history. The area has been occupied since neolithic times. It's never been very large, but it was important enough to once have had a castle, now in ruins, and to have been a stop on Roman trade routes.
It was also the favorite residence for several years of the poet Petrarch.There's a column in his honor in the town center, and yes, there's a museum to him in town to make some tourist money, but he probably wouldn't have minded. In his own words, "The illustrious source of the Sorgue, famous for itself long ago, became even more famous by my long stay and my songs."
For most of its time in history, however, the town has depended for a living on the power of the water to push wheels and power mills. Papermaking techniques arrived in the area from Italy in the late 14th-century, and Fontaine-de-Vaucluse became the center of the trade, with four of the area's eleven mills. The temporary location of the Papacy in Avignon probably also helped drive up the demand for paper.
At the Valla Clausa Mill, where ancient techniques are demonstrated
Papermaking continued to grow into the 18th century, although one of the mills became a silk factory in the 17th century and a wool rug factory in the 19th. It had become a paper factory again by the time all the mills closed in 1968. Since then, only a museum mill.
The town today is full of cafes, shops and accommodations for tourists, who vastly outnumber the population of just over 600. What's available in the shops ranges from the work of regional craftworkers to big-name designers to the sort of tacky souvenirs available everywhere.
And yet, with all that bustle in a fairly small area, there are quiet spots to walk along the water and try to figure out why that channel goes there, where a mill might have been, and even what role that cafe served two hundred years ago. And, you may even spot a bit of 20th-century industrial history, such as this veteran-but-spiffy Citroen 2CV that was circling the town square.
And, a special treat: a simple Romanesque church, built in the 11th century by monks. It is not large, and from the outside is barely recognizable as a church. The interior has a humble dignity that is stunning. The church also contains the tomb of St. Veran, for whom it is named. Allegedly, he slew a monster that was terrifying the townspeople.
Just outside the town, this 19th-century aqueduct carries the Canal de Carpentras across the valley. It's an irrigation canal that has also become a popular hiking trail.
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