Caromb.

Caromb lies in the Vaucluse, where vineyards climb toward the bare limestone summit of Mont Ventoux. The village grew up around its wine, and Côtes du Ventoux vines still cover the surrounding slopes, ripening through long dry summers before the harvest in September. Narrow streets of stone houses open onto small squares around the church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, the old centre of the village. A weekly market brings in produce from the surrounding countryside.

Trails leading up Mont Ventoux start close to the village and climb through forest before reaching open, wind-scoured slopes above the tree line. Lower paths wind between vineyards and dry-stone walls. Local growers open their cellars for tastings. Family-run restaurants build their menus around what comes from this land, pairing simple dishes with bottles made just outside the door.

The village keeps the working rhythm of a wine-growing place, lively at harvest time and quiet through the colder months, when the mountain above it often holds snow long after the vines have been pruned back for winter.