Information for Provence | Tourism in Provence (France)
Introduction to Provence
Provence is a region of southeastern France, Provence is delimited on
the east by Italy, on the south by the Mediterranean Sea, west to the
river Rhone and north to Mount Ventoux, the
mountains of Lure and the ongoing high Durance river. It is a division
of the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. The region of Provence
to consist of the départements of Var, Vaucluse, and Bouches-du-Rhône
and parts of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Alpes-Maritimes. This area
of southern France was the first Roman province outside Italian territory.
He first inhabitant of Provence goes back to the year 900000 B.C. Since then different culture have inhabited this area, Greeks, Romans, Celtics, Germanics, Merovingians, Carolingians...
Colonized by the Greeks, the region was part of the Roman province transalpina called Provintia Nostra (and later Neapolitan), created around the year 120 BC And where the name derives current (from Latin provintia).
It was dominated successively by several Germanic peoples as Ostrogoths, burgundies and francs. In the year 879 AD, the area was incorporated as Kingdom of Provence, sometimes called Lower Burgundy, by the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire Carolingian Lotario I figure his son Carlos of Provence, and in the tenth century the Kingdom of Arles.
In the early twelfth century was subject to the jurisdiction of the counts of Barcelona and during the government of Pedro II (1177-1213) was affected by the crusade promoted by Pope Innocent III against Albigensian (Cathars).
Subsequently lost all autonomy, subject to the House of Anjou who ruled the territory from 1245 until 1482, when the region fell under the rule of King Louis XI of France, being annexed in 1486.
Provence took ranking provincial until the French Revolution, at which time the region was distributed among several departments. At present its territory is part of the administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.
In Provence speaks French and Provençal, a dialect
of Occitan (or langue d'oc).
The nickname Occitan is the current name to refer to the former langue
d'oc (hence Languedoc) in the south of France. It is known that the
difference between terms of this language in the north of France, langue
d'oïl, it is clear from the different ways of saying 'yes'. The
main difference between them lies in the different treatment received
by the Latino voice in self-syllable position and tone.
Today Provence is a territory of sunlight, calmness
and splendour, Provence to arouse
all the senses. The smell of lavender, the delicious wines and its wonderful
climate, makes the Provence a wonderful place to live.