L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue ****

City trip

According to local tradition, the first inhabitants of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in the early Middle Ages were fishermen who settled in a marshy area in order to escape invaders, living in huts on stilts.

The city took its current configuration between the 11th and 12th centuries. The first mentions of the toponym Insula, meaning “the island” in French, are found in written sources from the 11th century. From this original name comes the name commonly used today still at the local level, namely "L'Isle" instead of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, a name officially adopted in 1890.

Every year in December, the Minots Théâtre Festival returns to L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, alongside the end-of-year festivities. This free programming for young audiences is the result of a municipal desire to offer a living experience of theater and stage from a very young age.

On the scale of the Sorgues basin, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is located on a vast alluvial plain, a crown of mountains providing a large setting, notably the giant of Provence, Mont-Ventoux. A nature city, it is characterized by its nickname “little Provençal Venice”. Its landscape has a “spirit of place”. Although its river is anthropized, it nevertheless benefits from an exceptional natural heritage and a unique ecosystem with high ecological value.

Eat

La Renaissance (their Facebook site) is a nice place, located right along the river, for lunch or dinner. We had lunch there and it was absolute something to recommend. Another great place (I mean really good) was café fleurs, recommended by the landlord of Les Carmes & Spa (see blog).

Sources

The village website and our own experiences.

L'ISLE-SUR-LA-SORGUE, PROVENCE, FRANCE