Les Baronnies viewed from Col de Perty

The Baronnies, in French Les Baronnies is a historic name for the area East and North of Mont Ventoux in Southern France. Mont Ventoux is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, located some 20 km north-east of Carpentras, Vaucluse. ... This region consists of the southern part of France. ...

Today most of the Baronnies is part of the département Drôme (a part of the région Rhône-Alpes). Smaller areas in the East and South belong to the départements of Vaucluse, Hautes-Alpes and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (part of the région Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur). The area of roughly 2,000 km² (772 sq miles) is sparsely populated; the 1999 census counted only 22,000 inhabitants. Since the 17th century les Baronnies, especially its eastern parts, suffered from land flight due to harsh economic conditions. Starting in the 1980s land flight has stopped and the population is now increasing especially in and around the towns of Nyons, Buis-les-Baronnies, Mirabel-aux-Baronnies, Faucon and Puymeras. There are plans to create the Parc Naturel Régional des Baronnies. The area is paradise for hiking, mountaineering, rock climbing, cycling, mountain biking, horse-riding, hang gliding and paragliding. The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France and many former French colonies, roughly analogous to British counties. ... Drôme is a département in southeastern France named after the Drôme River. ... {{ Haute-Normandie ... Location Administration Capital Lyon Regional President Jean-Jack Queyranne (PS) (since 2004) Départements Ain Ardèche Drôme Isère Loire Rhône Savoie Haute-Savoie Arrondissements 25 Cantons 335 Communes 2,879 Statistics Land area1 43,698 km² Population (Ranked 2nd)  - January 1, 2005 est. ... The Vaucluse is a département in the southeast of France. ... Hautes-Alpes is a département in southeastern France named after the Alps mountain range. ... Alpes_de_Haute_Provence is a French département in the south of France, it was formerly part of the province of Provence. ... Location Administration Capital Marseille Regional President Michel Vauzelle (PS) (since 1998) Départements Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Alpes-Maritimes Bouches-du-Rhône Hautes-Alpes Var Vaucluse Arrondissements 18 Cantons 237 Communes 963 Statistics Land area1 31,400 km² Population (Ranked 3rd)  - January 1, 2005 est. ... Nyons is a commune in south-eastern France in the Drôme département. ... Mirabel-aux-Baronnies is a commune and an old village in the Drôme département of France. ... Two hikers in the Mount Hood National Forest Eagle Creek hiking Hiking is a form of walking, undertaken with the specific purpose of exploring and enjoying the scenery. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Climbers on Valkyrie at the Roaches. ... This road bicycle is built using lightweight, shaped aluminium tubing and carbon fiber stays and forks. ... Mountain biker riding in the Arizona desert. ... horse, see Horse (disambiguation). ... Hang gliding is one of the windsports. ... Paragliding (known in some countries as parapenting) is a recreational and competitive flying sport. ...

History

Legend has it that Hannibal, the Carthaginian leader crossed les Baronnies with his elephants during the Second Punic War (218 - 201 B.C.). Later the area retired Roman soldiers were given land here. After the Roman Empire collapsed in the 3rd century, hundreds of years of invasions by Franks, Lombards, Saracens and marauding bands followed. During this period local fiefs started to fortify villages and consolidate power. In the 11th century the area was part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the Barons of Mévouillon consolidated their power over a large part of les Baronnies, they ruled for roughly 300 years from their impressive and established their capital in Buis-les-Baronnies. As a result of a family feud in 1125, the western part of les Baronnies was ruled by a different line of Mévouillons. They called themselves Barons de Montauban, hence the name "les Baronnies" (plural). They established their capital in Nyons. Within a short period of time both had to sell their possessions to the Count of Vienne, nicknamed le Dauphin (the dolphin was his coat of arms), who ceded his territory to the King of France in 1349 to pay his debts. Hannibal is one of the most common prenames in Punic and we know several military commanders (strategos) with this prename during the Punic Wars, while their family names or nicknames are often not recorded. ... Genera and Species Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis Loxodonta africana Elephas Elephas maximus Proboscidea is an order including only one extant family, Elephantidae or the elephants, with three species: the Savannah Elephant and Forest Elephant (which were collectively known as the African Elephant), and the Asian Elephant (formerly known as the Indian... Combatants Roman Republic Carthage Commanders Publius Cornelius Scipio†, Tiberius Sempronius Longus Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, Gaius Flaminius†, Fabius Maximus, Claudius Marcellus†, Lucius Aemilius Paullus†, Gaius Terentius Varro, Marcus Livius Salinator, Gaius Claudius Nero, Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Calvus†, Masinissa, Minucius+, Geminus+, Regulus+ Hannibal Barca, Hasdrubal Barca†, Mago Barca†, Hasdrubal Gisco†, Maharbal... The Roman Empire is the name given to both the imperial domain developed by the city-state of Rome and also the corresponding phase of that civilization, characterized by an autocratic form of government. ... For other uses, see Franks (disambiguation). ... The Lombards (Latin Langobardi, whence the alternative name Longobards found in older English texts), were a Germanic people originally from Northern Europe that entered the late Roman Empire. ... In older Western historical literature, the Saracens were the people of the Saracen Empire, another name for the Arab Caliphate under the rule of the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties. ... Under the system of feudalism, a fiefdom, fief, feud or fee, often consisted of heritable lands or revenue-producing property granted by a liege lord in return for a form of allegiance, originally often to give him the means to fulfill his military duties when called upon. ... The double-headed eagle The Holy Roman Empire was a mainly Germanic conglomeration of lands in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. ... Nyons is a commune in south-eastern France in the Drôme département. ... The title of Dauphin de Viennois was a hereditary title of the descendants of Guigues IV, Comte dAlbon, who was nicknamed le Dauphin from the dolphin on his coat of arms. ... Coat of Arms of the Dauphins of France. ...

Similar to the Luberon, the Baronnies was a stronghold of Protestantism in the Provence. It suffered heavily during the French Wars of Religion (1562-1598). Two of the most notable military leaders came from the Baronnies: Charles Dupuy-Montbrun, the Protestant leader from Montbrun-les-Bains and Faulque Thollon de Sainte Jalle, the Catholic leader from Sainte-Jalle. After a short lived economic revival the pest struck in 1629 and then again in 1652. The population was decimated. The Luberon Massif has a maximum altitude of 1 256 m and an area of about 600 km². It is composed of two mountains: the Big Luberon and the Little Luberon, lying in the middle of Provence in the far south of France. ... Protestantism is one of three main groups within Christianity. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur. ... The French Wars of Religion were a series of conflicts fought between Catholics and Huguenots (Protestants) from the middle of the sixteenth century to the Edict of Nantes in 1598, including civil infighting as well as military operations. ...

The period from the 18th century to modern day was marked by economic decline and land flight. Only in the 1980s were the Baronnies "discovered". Tourism started to develop and the area between Vaison-la-Romaine and Nyons started to become very popular with tourists and retirees. Vaison-la-Romaine seen from high in the medieval town Roman bridge over the Ouvèze Roman excavations in Vaison Vaison-la-Romaine (Latin: Vasio Vocontiorum) is a charming and interesting town in Provence. ... Nyons is a commune in south-eastern France in the Drôme département. ... A tourist boat travels the River Seine in Paris, France Tourism can be defined as the act of travel for the purpose of recreation, and the provision of services for this act. ...

Towns and Villages

The Baronnies has two historic towns, Nyons and Buis-les-Baronnies. There are many rustic ancient villages, most notable are Brantes, Faucon, Mirabel-aux-Baronnies, Mollans-sur-Ouvèze, Montbrun-les-Bains, La Motte-Chalançon, Orpierre, Puymeras, Rémuzat, Rousset-les-Vignes, Sainte-Jalle, Séderon and Venterol. Also notable is the castle of Aulan near Montbrun-les-Bains. Nyons is a commune in south-eastern France in the Drôme département. ... Mirabel-aux-Baronnies is a commune and an old village in the Drôme département of France. ...

Main economic activity is agriculture and tourism. Nyons is the center of the local olive tree cultivation with numerous oil mills, an olive oil cooperative and an olive tree/olive oil museum. The olives grown in Nyons and les Baronnies have an AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) quality label. Tourists at Oahu island, Hawaii Tourism is the act of travel for predominantly recreational or leisure purposes, and also refers to the provision of services in support of this act. ... For the Italian political alliance see Olive Tree, and the color, olive (color). ... A bottle of olive oil. ... Appellation dOrigine Contrôlée (AOC), which roughly translates as term of origin is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, by the government bureau Institut National des Appellations dOrigine (INAO). ...

Tourism has expanded, especially in the western parts of the Baronnies. It is important that the plan to create the Parc Naturel Régional des Baronnies is approved soon. It is however strongly opposed by many landowners and the real estate developers behind them.

External links

• Baronnies by Provence-Hideaways
• les Baronnies Official Tourism Site
• Nyons Olives by Provence-Hideaways
• Village of Mirabel-aux-Baronnies www.mirabelauxbaronnies.fr