Tourisme Culture Roussillon Office du Tourisme de Roussillon

In Provence, set between the Luberon hills and the beautiful Monts de Vaucluse, lies the village of Roussillon, sparkling with ochre colour under the deep blue sky. Roussillon is ranked as one of the most beautiful villages of France, and is totally unique

Roussillon is located in the very heart of the biggest ochre deposits in the world, and is distinguished by a wide palette of flamboyant colours.

Wandering the narrow streets, stairs and squares in Roussillon opens your eyes to the beautiful natural pigments used throughout the village, and the millennium-old knowledge of how to use this generous natural gift. In Roussillon, man has long worked in harmony with nature. 

Ochre is everywhere : streaking the hills in the unforgettable countryside and on the walls of the houses which have been washed with the traditional ochre rendering. Ochre is also in the hearts of the people, for whom ochre was the source of work until the middle of the 20th century.

Discover the presence of the ochre sands by following the Ochre Trail – the Sentier des ocres– a path through the ochre lands which has been laid out and marked. The trail takes you amidst the earth pillars and hills carved out by water, wind and the hand of man. 

In Roussillon you can also learn about the industrial history of ochre in the area by visiting the Ochre and Colour Conservatory Coservatoire des ocres et de la couleur in the former Mathieu factory on the D 104 road, on the way to Apt. This former ochre plant offers tours, classes and information on the use of ochre.

Ochre has been used since prehistoric times, and was mined by the Romans during the era of the Roman settlement of Provence. However, ochre only became a widespread, industrial product in the late 18th century when Roussillon native son Jean-Etienne Astier put forward the idea of washing the ochre-laden sands to extract the pure pigment. Today, though natural ochre faces strong competition from synthetic pigments, it remains unrivalled for use in certain applications. 

 Lionel Houant Immobilière du Luberon Real estate Agency in the Luberon specialist beautiful properties in Provence will offer for sale old Mas with a superb view of the village of Roussillon.