In the Bouches de Rhone (the mouth
of the Rhone) is the medieval Provencal village of Bourbon. It is a typically
pretty and ancient village for which Provence in the south of France is noted. The
architecture ranges back to Roman times with many medieval additions making the
tiny streets, arch ways and various nooks and crannies a very attractive prospect
for the exploring tourist.Like many villages in the area, it has fortifications
from long ago. Bourbon has a fortified castle which dominates the village, with
a very interesting guards hut called Le Gardette, beside
the Porte Loriol as you enter the
village.
There is a 14th century statue of
St Christopher, the patron saint of travellers. Further along on Rue Barri,
there is the remains of an 11th century with its keep and defence towers, but
sadly that is all that remains. The church of St Anne dates from 1626 and the
chapel of St Marcellin has Roman antecedents
and is the place where the annual bottle procession starts each June 1st.
This is a really nice traditional festival which happens each June 1st in the village. All the locals bring a bottle of their best wine and meet at 7pm then follow the priest to the chapel for it to be blessed by the priest, then they all open the bottles and drink some of the wine. I say some, because it is expected that you re-cork it when you have finished, with the idea that you save the rest for the next procession next year, but I don't think this degree of denial would suit the normal British tourist! It is supposed to ward off stomach ache, fevers and other illnesses and it is said that the congregation then return to the village and are uplifted and jolly, but I suspect that means they may be drinking more of the wine than the priest would condone! It is a nice tradition though.
There is walking, horse riding
and a number of summer events, the festival of St Eloi being the most
significant, which takes place on the 4th Sunday in August each year.There is
also a market each Monday where you can buy locally made ceramics, olive oil
products and the local rose, for which Provence is justly renowned. then in the
last weekend of September there is a bullfighting festival.This is not a
spectacle that is revered by most Brits, but it is a long-held tradition of the
area, and the locals enjoy it, so who are we to interfere with an age
old pastime.
Getting
to the area is tricky unless you have access to a car. Public transport hardly
exists and taxis are scare.The nearest airport is Marseilles which has flights
to a number of destinations including the UK and much of Europe, but if you
want an intercontinental flight you would need to travel to Nice International
Airport some 2 hours away.
