Come and meet the people of the Ventoux area!

Marie-Madeleine sings in the Polyphonie du Ventoux group “Tant que le Siam”. The trio was created in 2017 after having carried out the important work of collecting the oral memory of the territory alongside a renowned local expert in toponomy, Paul Peyre (another interesting personality!). They embody in their unique way the renewal of Ventoux culture with their latest opus entitled Vent’Alentour.

This larger-than-life French storyteller from Provence practices his thousand-year-old art at the TRAC – the Théâtre Rural d’Animation Culturel. This atypical theatre company, supported since 1979 by a popular education dynamic, is home to a large number of storytellers. Having trained alongside the superstars of the current storytelling scene, Gilbert and his associates have now spread to the most diverse places, from municipal halls to country bistros!

Born in Carpentras, Bernard Mondon is the author of many books about Provence, and in particular about Mont Ventoux. Having fallen in love with the iconic provençal mountain and incomparable in his portrayal of it, he has been strongly involved from the beginning in the creation and development of the Charter of the new Parc du Ventoux, and is the Editor-in-Chief of the exciting magazine Les Carnets du Ventoux. A captivating expert in his field!

Pascal Arvicus is one of the few who have revived this culture on the slopes of Ventoux. It is little known that saffron was widely cultivated in the Comtat Venaissin in the Middle Ages, and that it was particularly popular on the tables of the Avignon Popes, because of its colour which evoked gold. Since 2010, he has been growing organically 13,000 crocuses every year, weeding by hand, patiently pruning… and photographing them beautifully, as this is another of his talents!

Cherries, table grapes and wine grapes, olives… Georgia Lambertin cultivates this produce, which contribute greatly to the reputation of Ventoux and the Comtat Venaissin, on her family farm. Between vines and orchards, Giorgia, who carries the title of ‘President of the Chamber of Agriculture of Vaucluse’ with vigour, welcomes the general public for walks and tasting sessions, and passionately expresses her love of the territory.

Trained as a naturalist, he is the manager of the natural areas of the upper part of Mont Ventoux and the Gorges de la Nesque, under the European Natura 2000 programme. At the interface of the animal, sports, scientific and environmental worlds, he ensures the good ecological condition of these areas, recognized as major sites of the Ventoux Parc, and the upkeep of this national biodiversity hotspot.