Sault
Capital of Lavender & Honey
High up on the Vaucluse Plateau the village of Sault is an important centre for the growing of Lavender and the production of honey.
Following the departure of the Romans from Provence, the area around Sault became a refuge for many fleeing from the Barbarian invaders and later the from Normans and Saracens. The King of Provence, a great grandson of Charlemagne, actually took refuge in Sault in 959AD.
Ruled by the d’Agoult family during the Middle Ages and during the 17th Century by the Créquy-Lesdiguières family who held it till the Revolution, it was a semi-independent county.
During WW2 Sault became a place of refuge once more for those who opposed the Germans and it soon became the centre for the Le Maquis Ventoux, the local Résistance fighters. As a result the local people suffered reprisals and the town was awarded the Croix de Guerre with Vermillion Star.
Today, Sault is well known for its lavender and indeed driving to the town during mid to late June you are treated to field after field of this wonderful purple hued plant particularly when you approach from the direction of Mont Ventoux.
Don’t miss: the view from the belvédere at the north end of the town which takes in the Vaucluse Plateau and Mont Ventoux.