Uncover hidden Provence

THERE are some things you can count on when visiting Provence in June. Fields will be blooming with fragrant lavender and sunflowers. Cherry trees will be laden with ripe fruit. Le mistral — the fierce wind that gives the trees a permanent bend — will likely be blowing.

Oh right, and tourists. Lots and lots of tourists. Stepping from air-conditioned buses, clutching their Peter Mayle paperbacks and once again overrunning the narrow streets of region’s picturesque towns that are more than happy to trap them (we’re talking to you, Avignon).

Instead of all that, may we suggest these less-trafficked towns, where you can sip a glass of rosé and soak up the Provencal sun far from the madding crowds?

BALAZUC

The French government doesn’t take its “most beautiful villages of France” award lightly — a mere 150 in the entire country qualify. One is the sleepy medieval hamlet of Balazuc, population 346, which gets our vote for its views alone. Built high atop a limestone cliff, it overlooks the wide, snaking Ardeche River and a steep gorge spanned by a double-arched stone bridge.

The blessedly vehicle-free Balazuc is a maze of cobblestone paths that abruptly end, Escher-like, in steeply descending stone stairwells. Houses, carved right out of the limestone, are separated by narrow alleyways. Lording over it all is a 12th-century watchtower, built to spot invaders who dared to cross the swift-moving Ardeche. These days, instead of English marauders, you’ll spy hardy kayakers and canoers navigating the river and a cluster of tents belonging to summer campers along its banks. (There are also no hotels here, but rooms are let for as little as $75 a night.)

Silkworms were once raised in the fields surrounding Balazuc; now they are dotted with vineyards producing delicate roses and farms turning out all matter of artisanal products. These goodies — local honey, olive oils, eggplant caviar, fig, melon and apricot apertifs, chestnut bonbons — fill the shelves of the Caveau de la Chazotte , a shop (and holiday rental) just outside the crumbling walls of the village. Every summer Friday at 5 p.m., you can stop by for a free tour of the nearby vineyard (brush up on your French, though) followed by a sampling of wines from the Ardeche region.

SAIGNON

In most ways, this 3,000-year-old hilltop village (one of France’s oldest) is typically Provencal: steep, winding streets, arched doorways, houses accented with colorful shutters and crawling with ivy, shady squares with old fountains and an ancient church (in this case, a sturdy, 12th-century, Roman one). But what distinguishes it from others is an ancient craggy outcropping, Le Rocher de Saignon (the Rock of Saignon).

To get there, strap on some sturdy walking shoes and head toward the summit, leaving the village behind. Once you navigate the rather precipitous path (no railings!), you’ll be duly rewarded for your efforts. From the promontory are spectacular, panoramic views of the Luberon mountain range, the larger town of Apt beyond, the stone-roofed houses of Saignon below and, on clear days, even a glimpse of the Alps.

The less intrepid can hang out in the main square, in front of the Auberge du Presbytere, a 500-year-old former parish that is now the town’s only hotel. Locals (and a smattering of tourists) wile away the early evenings at small iron tables, enjoying an aperitif beside the moss-covered fountain before heading to dinner. (Saignon has only four eateries; the nicest is inside the 16-room hotel.) Across the square, through two stone archways, is the lavoir à Saignon, once a place where residents washed their clothes. Today, it mainly functions as a watering hole for the town cats.

And should you feel thirsty, just fill your bottle right from the spouting fountain; you’ll see the locals doing it, and even the Auberge waiters hold out carafes to catch the stream.

LACOSTE

Lacoste may be guilty of attracting a few too many daytrippers, largely due to its proximity to the popular towns of Roussillon and Gordes and the undeniable lure of its most notorious resident, the Marquis de Sade, whose decaying chateau sits high atop the village.

That castle, built in the 15th and 16th centuries, is currently being renovated as a private residence for French designer Pierre Cardin, who’s stirring up a bit of his own controversy. Over the past decade, Cardin has been buying up houses in this unassuming little village with the goal of turning it into a cultural destination. (He established a summer opera and concert festival here in 2009.) Lacoste’s 450 residents are none too happy about the changes, claiming that there’s too much vacant real estate and the new Cardin-owned shops and restaurants (like the Cafe de Sade) are too fancy.

For or against this gentrification, you may want to head to the village before its character alters too much. (The student program for the Savannah College of Art & Design has already ensured you’ll hear plenty of English on the streets.) There’s the venerable Café de France, whose terrace offers lovely views of the surrounding towns, and on Tuesday mornings there’s the market open from 9 to noon. Grab a baguette and some cheese for the steep hike up to Sade’s — er, Cardin’s — castle.

(Thumbnail image on homepage: Sami Sarkis/Getty Images)