On Wed Oct 18 we drove back across the Rhone to scope out a couple of very old villages, Gigondas and Vaison la Romaine. Since this was our first trip to the south of France we were quite eager to check out as many spots as we could. These two towns were quite picturesque but they were another place where there was no one around during the week, at least this time of year. Vaison la Romaine was first. This was the site of a sizable Roman colony in classical times. There are major digs going on now to excavate the ruins. In the medieval period the village we visited grew up around the castle at the top of the hill. 

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_8509980-HDR Just down the road is the village of Gigondas. It doesn't have Roman ruins but it does have something else, its own wine appellation. Gigondas is a red blend of the lower Rhone wines, very similar to its more famous neighbor, Chateauneuf du Pape.

_8500014-Edit _8500005  Again though, we learned that this time of year these villages are best visited on a weekend. Not much was open. Even so exploring these little towns is a joy in itself. And one never knows when the serendipity gods might appear.