 |
 |
 |
 The Region around Pézenas The old town of Pézenas is in the middle of the Département of l'Hérault. Nearby are the five neighbouring Départements making up the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France, being Lozère, Gard, Aude and the Pyrénées Orientales. L'Hérault lies approximately half way between Marseilles and the Spanish border and stretches from the Mediterranean to the Cévennes and the Montagne Noire. The Mediterranean coast is well served by Agde, Cap d'Agde, Mèze, Sète, Marseillan and Marseillan Plage, etc and has all you want in leisure and sporting pursuits. The nearby 'Etangs' or lagoons display diverse ecology. The principal city of l'Hérault is Montpellier - home of the oldest university in Europe - and significant towns include Béziers, Pézenas, the spa town of Lamalou-les-Bains and the busy port of Sète. Languedoc-Roussillon is rightly famed for its weather and wines. The weather is usually dry and invariably hot in summer - the Languedoc enjoys some 300 days of sunshine a year. The wines include Faugères, Cabrières, St Chinian and the Coteaux du Languedoc. If you are looking for a dessert wine, drive down to Fitou or Rivesaltes near Perpignan. Almost every village has its wine co-operative and many of them have local vignerons/producers whose wine is well worth sampling. Most of the caves welcome visitors and will offer a free glass or two for tasting. The area also produces honey - there is a bee museum at Soumartre, and olive oil. Clermont l'Herault has an olive oil co-operative and in neighbouring Nebian and other villages you will find private producers of fine olive oils. In summer you can't drive more than a mile or two without passing roadside stalls offering local fruit, vegetables and wine. The countryside of the Languedoc is spectacularly beautiful. There is a wide variety of scenery, ranging from the seaside resorts of Marseillan, Agde and Palavas to the picturesque Cévennes where Robert Louis Stevenson's 'Travels with a donkey' is set. From June to September, Pézenas hosts the Mirondela des Arts, a festival of arts and crafts, which includes street theatre, exhibitions and music. Most villages have their fêtes locales and there are many local markets, an excellent one being Pézenas on a Saturday. There are water sports at the seaside holiday complex of Cap d'Agde and excellent, often almost deserted beaches, including the 7 km strip of sand between Marseillan and Sète. Cap d'Agde also has naturist beaches. You can also swim in the many lakes and rivers, including the Lac du Salagou. Holiday sports include horse riding, hiking and canoeing. For the sightseer, the area is rich in the history of the Cathars and there are a large number of medieval towns to visit including Carcassonne, Aigues-Mortes, Pézenas and the old Templar walled city of La Couvertoirade. |
|
