Cairanne Village

Today the bright, if sometimes windy weather that we have enjoyed finally broke and it became grey, if less windy.

In the morning, I walked Magnus up to Rasteau. There is an air force base in the area, and as a consequence, there are periods in the day, mainly in the morning, when the quiet is disturbed by jets - although fortunately a little distant. This morning, I noticed eight planes formation flying, which I guess is the French air force display team, the Patrouille de France. I am sure that the name brings a tear to many a Frenchman's eye, but somehow, their title is not as evocative as the Red Arrows.

This afternoon, we took a short trip to Cairanne, which is only a few minutes beyond Rasteau. The region where we are staying is marketed as the Pays Vaison Ventoux, which is composed of 19 villages centred on the town of Vaison-La-Romaine. These villages, originally Medieval, many of which we have visited in the last couple of weeks, are pretty small, with populations from around 500 to 1200 and are hardly buzzing.

Vaison-La-Romaine, the main town, dates back to Roman times and there are some decent ruins to be seen at ground level, while the old Medieval village with castle is up the hill. As the regional centre, there are shops and restaurants plus several hypermarkets just outside.

Cairanne is associated with the Hospitallers and Templars. The original walled village is tiny, but has developed around and down to ground level, where it is surrounded by a huge wine estate. In the past, the tithes from the village went directly to the Pope. Even though the original village is small, in keeping with its religious background, it encompases three places of worship including a church and two chapels, plus the remnants of the Templar headquarters.