There are some villages in Provence that are must to see again and again every time I revisit Provence, and Gordes is one of those villages.  Gordes is a village in the sky.  While it’s a typical village being perched on a cliff, it is a very unusual village because of the way it was built on the cliff.  The cliff is so steep that it seems as if the village is floating in the sky.  This village was founded by the Romans in 11th century and was developed around the fortified castle, which still exists today.  What is hard to believe is that Gordes has a long history of ups and downs.  One century, it was a strong fortress and then during another century, it was prospering thanks to the silk weavers, the production of olive oil and cobblers who came to the village.  Later on, Gordes suffered an earthquake in 1909 and also the German bombings during the World War II.  Fortunately, since 1960′s Gordes has been thriving thanks to the tourists who are visiting to appreciate the beauty of landscape and the architecture.

The Provençal folktale song that you will be hearing in the video is La mazurka souto li pin.

While I’m not a religious person and viewing religious art does not allure me, I just have to make a note of a church, The Saint Firmin Church, in Gordes just because of its interior design.  It is embellished with stunning paintings in rich colors and sculptures.  It is different from other historical churches and cathedrals because there is no somberness feeling to it due to plain and simple colors.

After taking the moment to view the marvelous interior of the church, I headed down a hill and just admired the stunning countryside of Provence.