Roussillon (Vaucluse)

Roussillon is a commune in the Vaucluse department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region in Southeastern France. Roussillon lies within the borders of the Natural Regional Park of Luberon.

The village is a member of the association, The Most Beautiful Villages of France.

It is noted for its large ochre deposits found in the clay surrounding the village. Ochres are pigments ranging from yellow and orange to red. One of the former ochre quarries can be visited via the “Sentier des Ocres” (Ochre Path), a walk of either 30 or 60 minutes through the old workings.

Tourism amd main attractions

Roussillon is, after Gordes, the second most visited village in the Luberon. The best is to discover Roussillon on a sunny morning from the East, or by arriving by the road from Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt, the view is then magical, the village appearing at the top of a steep hill and its red hues are brightened by the sun; or by the Goult road, where the red of ocher appears little by little in the middle of the pine forests to suddenly invade the entire landscape.

Several paid parking lots on the outskirts help limit the number of cars in the village center.

The Neolithic site of Martins.

The winding central street, which leads to the top of the village, is lined with art galleries, shops selling Provençal products and pretty houses from the 17th and 18th centuries.

At the top, the Saint-Michel church has a beautiful 17th century facade and adjoins a cliff from which you have a 360° panorama, with an orientation table. The baptismal font, framed by a stone canopy, is classified as an object by the French Ministry of Culture.