Crestet can be described as what I like to call Burgunesque, a word I made up for places that remind me of the rural charm of Burgundy that I first fell in love with. This village is not in Burgundy but in the gorgeous Provençal countryside with a view of Mont Ventoux and the Dentelles de Montmirail.

Winding streets, vaulted passageways, cobblestone steps, flower boxes, and stone archways lure you in to have a wander.

After an ordeal getting to Provence, with a ten-hour delay in Munich that caused us to arrive at our rental in the mountains at 2:00 a.m., I was coming down with a cold on the day we visited Crestet. My husband, however, persisted on having me climb these narrow, steep steps, which I couldn’t resist myself.

If visiting the nearby most-stunning village of Brantes, be sure to stop off at Crestet as it really deserves to be on the Route de Charm. In fact, there’s a collection of small villages in this area of the Vaucluse that have that specific charm factor: Aurel, Brantes, Monieux, Séguret  and, of course, many more to be “discovered.”

À bientôt!