Nestled in a verdant spot (a vast cultivated plain), Bras dAsse
is located on a branch of the river Asse. It's a typical peaceful
one-street Provençal village, with its central bar and pétanque
pitch, its little church shaded by plane trees, and its detached houses
surrounded by flower-filled gardens.
The ruins overlooking the village are a little more out of the ordinary.
This was in fact the original village, and is still flanked by broken
down towers and ramparts.
It is said the village was destroyed on the orders of Louis XII,
because the local baron had sided with the Huguenots in the religious
wars which devastated Provence.
The subsequent exodus from the old village is described by the Provençal
writer Marie Borelly in her novel "Le dernier feu" adapted
for television by Jean Dasque.
Don't leave Bras dAsse without tasting the mead or the local
nougat, or without watching the pétanque players shouting
to one another with their inimitable accent, and of course you can't
leave without taking some refreshment on the local café's
terrace ! |