Provence Gallery

Field of lavender

Field of lavender (Lavandula spica) plants planted in rows. Lavender has several medicinal properties. Lavender oil is a very good antiseptic and can also be used as an insecticide. Preparations of this plant can also relieve coughs and prevent involuntary muscle spasms. It is cultivated throughout Europe as a source of scent and oil. Photographed at the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Senanque, Provence, France

© David Nunuk/Science Photo Library

Senanque abbey and its lavender field, Provence

Famous Senanque abbey in Vaucluse with its lavender field in full bloom. Gordes, Provence, France.
The abbey of Senanque was founded the 9th of the Calends of July 1148 (23th of June) by Cistercian monks from Mazan in Ardeche. Our Lady of Senanque is the fourth Cistercian abbey founded in Provence, after Le Thoronet, Aiguebelle and Silvacane

© 2014 Matteo Colombo

Landscape with mountain and olive trees (Olea europaea), St. Remy, Provence, France

The olive, known by the botanical name Olea europaea, meaning European olive, is a species of small tree in the family Oleaceae, found in the Mediterranean Basin from Portugal to the Levant, the Arabian Peninsula, and southern Asia as far east as China, as well as the Canary Islands and Reunion. The species is cultivated in many places and considered naturalized in all the countries of the Mediterranean coast, as well as in Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Java, Norfolk Island, California, and Bermuda. Olea europaea is the type species for the genus Olea. The olive's fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the Mediterranean region as the source of olive oil; it is one of the core ingredients in Mediterranean cuisine. The tree and its fruit give their name to the plant family, which also includes species such as lilacs, jasmine, Forsythia, and the true ash trees (Fraxinus)

© Creative Sparks Imagery LLC / Danita Delimont