Pernes Les Fontaines

The nearest town with full commercial activity is Pernes Les Fontaines. It is another medieval town. The main nave of the eglise Notre Dame de Nazareth dates back to the 11th century and structurally it was augmented ove the next 500 years. Pernes was a hotspot for Les Hospitaliers of the Knight of St John, and we visited Le Tour Ferrande which was used as a library and meeting place for the knights. [There are some impressive frescoes on the walls depicting the life of Charles d'Anjou and Guillaume d'Orange (although our guide told us that, in fact, the reference to Guillaume d'Orange was a secondary reference because the frescoes were predominantly commissioned to honour the life of a knight who was about to become the owner's father-in-law). The frescoes are remarkably well preserved. The roads of cobblestone are typically winding and rolling, but what stands out here more than I can recall elsewhere is the homogenous use of stones on walls and roads which provides a rather neat character to the town. It is very quiet here being mor or less off the beaten track, but a few tourists like oursleves could be spotted here and there. The Tourist Bureau is staffed by some of the most friendly people you will ever meet and they even give 30 minutes free wi-fi and a table to work on should you wish to use it. It has been extremely hot here, and the rain we had on Friday came as a great and refreshing relief.