In summer the square at the Palais des Papes in Avignon is heaving with crowds and street performers, and it's a good atmosphere. But in the winter you can actually take in the whole Avignon experience and give it the attention it deserves.
This is a church in Les Baux de Provence. A very popular destination in the summer as it is inscribed in the itineraries of all visitors to Provence that they must come up here.
Bonnieux is one of the 'best' Luberon villages - lots of restaurants, shops and cafes, great architecture and steep lanes to explore and get lost in. In the winter you can be the only visitor and have the whole place to yourself.
Lacoste is directly across the valley from Bonnieux in an eternal face-off. At the top of Lacoste are the ruins of the Marquis de Sade's castle, which are slowly being put back together again.
In winter the top of the Mont Ventoux is home to a small ski resort both on the north and south flanks of the mountain. This is pretty unexpected as it is only an hour's drive to the top from the Luberon. It can be sunbathing weather in the olive groves, and good conditions on the pistes, on the same day. This picture doesn't show the skiing, it shows the moody face of the Ventoux in the early morning.
The disused ochre quarry at Roussillon is what gives the village its unreal palette of colours - there are 17 shades of ochre here, and it's a good place for a walk before or after lunch.
This is a view from Rousillon of the valley towards the Luberon mountain. Almost all pictures taken at Roussillon capture the ochre madness of the village, but this shows how beautiful it looks the other way.
A 180 degree picture of Gordes and the plain it dominates. Picture taken by Lorenzo De Paolis - see his site www.lorenzodepaolis.com for more of his Provence pictures.
The road to St Remy is a Roman road, dead straight, and lined by overarching plane trees. It's like an old tourism poster of Provence and makes driving fun.
L'Isle sur la Sorgue on a January Sunday. Spend the morning browsing antiques and bric-a-brac, before tucking into a waterside lunch in the Venice of Provence.
Fontaine de Vaucluse is extremely busy in summer, because it is just so darned beautiful. In winter it is still beautiful, and sparsely populated.
Cassis on the coast is just over an hour from the Luberon, 20 minutes east of Marseille. Gorge yourself on sea urchins and other winter delights of the sea at one of the many harbourside restaurants that are open all year round. These chaps are opening sea urchins for about a hundred seafood platters they served, all plucked from the sea that morning.
Apt Market is on every Saturday morning of the year - it is the biggest Luberon market with over 300 stalls, and in the winter it is less crowded but still buzzing.