Grignan. Marquise de Sévigné.
[Grignan], pop. 1900; Inn: Sévigné, is built on the slopes of a hill on the top of which, 100 ft. above the “Place,” are the gardens and ugly half-ruined and half-inhabited castle where Mme. Sévigné died. The former Salle du Roi has been converted into a picture-gallery, containing upwards of 300 paintings, among which the most interesting are—the portraits of Madame and her daughter, by Mignard. About half-way up the hill is the church, commenced in the 12th cent. [In front of the altar] a white marble slab, 2½ ft. long by 1½ wide, bears the following inscription:— “Cy Git Marie de Rabutin Chantal, Marquise de Sévigné. Décédé le 18 Avril 1696.” Above the well, in the “Place,” is a bronze statue of her with corkscrew curls. About ½ m. from the town is what was one of her favourite walks to an overhanging ledge of sandstone called the Grotte de Roche-Courbière. To visit it, descend from the inn, then take the first byeroad right, by a row of poplars to a short stair. A coach runs from Grignan to Nyons, 20½ m. S.E. by Valréas and Taulignan. [Valréas] (pronounce the “s”), 8¼ m. from Nyons and 22 from Orange, pop. 950; Inn: H. du Nord, is partly surrounded with its old walls, garnished with square towers and pierced by narrow gateways. Taulignan, 17 m. N.W.
from Nyons by Valréas and 11¼ m. by Rousset, Inn: H. du Commerce, pop. 1200, is also partly surrounded with its old walls.
PARIS
MARSEILLES 420 117 [DONZERE]. H. du Commerce. Romanesque church with handsome spire. Four and a half miles south is Pierrelatte station, and the terminus of the unfinished railway to Nyons, 15 miles from Grignan. Coach from Pierrelatte to St. Paul-Trois-Châteaux, fare 6 sous, time 45 minutes. This, the Roman Augusta-Tricastinorum, contains an interesting cathedral of the 12th cent., restored. Many Roman relics have been found in the neighbourhood.
La Croisiere.
PARIS
MARSEILLES 432 105 [LA CROISIERE.] Two small inns at station. Omnibus awaits passengers for Pont Saint-Esprit, H. de l’Europe, 3½ m. W. on the other side of the Rhône by an avenue of poplars. Fare, 40 c. The bridge is 2756 ft. long, has 20 arches, was commenced in 1265 and finished in 1309. Till 1865 it had 21 arches, when the two at the W. end were demolished and converted into one large iron arch for the convenience of the steamboat to pass through. (For [Pont Saint-Esprit], see page 98).
Diligence at La Croisiere station for Nyons, 29½ m. E. by the valleys of the Lez and the Aigues, and the town of Bollène, pop. 6000. Inn: Croix Blanche, on the Lez, 4½ m. E. Manufactures of fire-bricks and clay-tubing. 7½ m. E., Suze-le-Rousse, pop. 2200. Coach here to Mansis. 12 m. E., Tulette, pop. 1300; Inn: Vigne. Horses changed here. 15¾ m. E., St. Maurice, pop. 1000; Inn: Lion d’Or. Near the village of Vinsobres a cross-road leads to the highway between Nyons and Vaison. At Nyons the coach stops in the “Place” in front of the H. du Louvre; whence the diligences start for Grignan and Montelimart (see [map, page 56]).
Nyons.
[NYONS], on the Aigues, pop. 4000. Hotels: Louvre, in the Place; Voyageurs, in a corner. Temple Protestant next the hospital. Nyons, surrounded by high mountains, is famous for its mild springs, and therefore eminently fitted for those returning from the Riviera. The orange and palm do not grow here, but abundance of mulberry, almond, fig, peach, and pear trees. In the oak forests are remarkably fine truffles. Silk mills and the preserving of fruit and truffles supply the principal industries. The old town, called Les Forts, is built on an eminence partly surrounded with its old walls garnished with square towers, 14th cent. The vieux château, or centre tower, has been converted by the curate into a chapel surmounted with an image of the “immaculately conceived.” The part of the town below is called Les Halles, whose dirty streets are bordered with thick heavy arches. The rest of the town, extending to the Aigues, is called the Bourg. The bridge, built in 1341, is of one arch and considerably higher in the centre than at the ends.
The Pontias Breeze.