In Gordes, on the edge of a cliff

Italian sculptor and painter Michelangelo, whose name is behind the worldwide famous Pietà and the Sistine Chapel, used to say, with a burst of modesty, that his sculptures were not really his merit, but that they were already inside the blocks of marbles and his duty was merely to bring them out.

When I saw Gordes arriving from the little country lane studded with tourists armed with the best cameras on the market, Michelangelo's quote was the first thing that crossed my mind. This charming town in the heart of Provence seems carved out of a hill and dangerously perched on its edge.

Like the other villages of this area, also in Gordes is a thriving activity of local markets and cultural events, but if visitors don't feel like shopping or attending whatever event, the town is worth a visit even only for the landscape from both inside and outside its walls.

Here a few shots

In Provence, wandering the streets of a ghost town

On my way down the Luberon mount, a stone's throw away from stunning Gordes, my attention was captured by a modest sign pointing towards a tiny entrance: I was accessing the mysteries of Village des Bories.

It all looked quite familiar, actually, since I'm used to Sardinia, which is dotted with stone towers dating back to nuragic times. In Sardinia they are called "nuraghi", and the stones are not glued one another, but simply leant against each other, and have managed to hold this way for some 3,000 years. The bories, compared to the nuraghi, are made with smaller and sharper stones. Their aspect is as austere as Sardinian bronze-age towers, and while I strolled about what seemed like a ghost village I had the impression to be stepping back in a remote time.

The different stone huts have different purposes: they can be houses, caves, sheep-pens, or just different working areas. Journeying through the village is a little like journeying across Provence history and the evolution of its working tools and dwelling habits.

A stroll around this otherworldly place is very fascinating as the village is kept in its original settings, making it easier for us to imagine the daily life of these huts dwellers who, judging from the way they built their village and the fact that their houses are still there despite passing centuries and different weather conditions, were definitely quite clever.

The tour is completed with a geographical and historical journey with the help of dozens of photos of similar stone buildings taken all over the world, from Sardinia, to Turkey, to California, almost to suggest that at the end of the day we all come from the same place.