A statue of pregnant Virgin Mary, an astronomical observatory in a former nuclear missile silo, a hotel room in a tree or a gipsy caravan, primitive Provençal artists, the mark of Christ's knee, a fountain that flows with wine, a caiman dedicated to the Virgin Mary, a church in a theatre, an erotic medieval bas relief, a countess who returned to life, a Provençal Villa Medicis, a false volcano at La Roquebrusane, a "sheep bridge" at Arles, a rain-making saint, an alchemist's garden, a magic palindrome at Oppède?

Provence is not limited to postcard clichés about fields of lavender or picturesque villages where pastis-drinking inhabitants pass the time playing pétanque.

For those who manage to stray from the beaten paths, Provence is full of surprising features and curious sights that will amaze residents as well as visitors who thought they knew all there is to know about this region.