Provence [antikvár]

INTRODUCTION f w he problem that m arises for people " visiting Provence for the first time is which Provence to set out to see, to discover — in short, to admire — for spending too much time on only one of the region 's facets means that you might lose sight of the others. This is why one trip to Provence is not enough: you need one trip to search out the Provence of the tiny villages perched upon craggy cliffs, another to discover the Provence of the gaily-coloured harbours with their fishing boats, another to take in the unconta-minated Provence of seemingly-endless Camargue horizons, gypsy pilgrimages, and herds of grazing cattle and horses, and still another to retrace the steps of the troubadours and the characters out of legend and history. And we must not forget the festivals held in the region which range from simple country fairs to sophisticated artistic and cultural spectacles that attract the intellectual elite of the whole world. The language of Provence is still the dialect known as Oc, or Occitane, the tongue of the troubadours who sang of courtly love, requited and unrequited. It was in Merovingian times that Oc became different from the language spoken in the north of France known as Oil, and the difference has remained over the centuries. Medieval Provence has left its special imprint: there are charming little abbeys half-hidden amidst the greenery and magnificent palaces once inhabited by popes. The country homes were called mas. They were huge buildings facing eastwards as defence against the mistral wind (master, in the local dialect) or the oustau when in built-up areas. The presence of the mistral is only one of the ways that even nature is special in Provence. Indeed, there are many others: the red clay of Roussillon, the white limestone of Mont Ventoux, the notched Alpilles and Lubéron chains, the barren garrigues (craggy limestone hills with sparse vegetation ), and the oak forests (now rare) and neat rows of cypress trees which offer respite from the raging mistral. And, too, the extensive fields of lavender, poppies, grapevines, and olive trees are proof of the love of the land deep-rooted in the Provençal population. The people of Provence are strong and tradition-mind-ed. Even their way of speaking and gesturing reflects their long-ago heritage. Constantly they feel compelled to measure themselves against the outside world. In fact, this is symbolized by their favorite sport which is boules, a kind of bocce. Beneath the trees shading an improvised court, a pétanque player, his feet together inside a circle drawn out on the ground, juggles the shiny metal ball as he prepares to make his play. Around him, the other players and onlookers are already busily engaged in an animated discussion before the ball is even launched — but heated tempers will soon be cooled down by a sip of pastis. Undeniably, over the last few decades, Provence, as every other place, has undergone a process of modernisation and, of course, not everything is idyllic. Yet, in an era which has privileged the concept of civilisation concentrated in just a few main centers around which exists nothing but vacuum, Provence is living proof of a more human and correct way of creating culture (in fact, this way of considering culture as part of a complex mosaic of activity is starting to come back again). So, this is the problem - and challenge - for those who want to get to know Provence: they are faced with having to pick out the superimposed layers of civilisations that, pieced together, explain the region's complex and fascinating historical truth. 3