10 Fabulous Reasons To Visit Pezenas In The South Of France

Pezenas is a historic town in the Languedoc in the South of France. I'll state up front that I'm completely biased as I chose to live here!

I also look after the marketing for a series of 4 beautiful apartments created out of an 1800s convent with a "secret garden" and pool in the centre of Pezenas and I'm interested in promoting the wineries of the area. The area is always crowded with tourists in Summer but from September to June it is a lot calmer and that, along with the weather, makes it a fantastic place to visit. More people should have access to it!

So here are 10 reasons that Pezenas might suit you for your next holiday:

It's 20 minutes from the beaches of the Mediterranean - long stretches of sandy beaches that aren't as crowded as the beaches of Provence - and in May, June, September and October it's usually warm and sunny and you don't have to step around other people's beach towels! In the Winter months even if you can't swim there are many beautiful beach walks.
Pezenas itself is known for its history and architecture so, for those of you into the ancient, this is a fascinating base for studying history from the Roman times through the Cathars and the Occitan culture.
The art fans will love wandering the streets of the old town and visiting the many artists shop / studios. Many do their work on site so you get to meet the real artist and discuss his or her work.
Pezenas is also known for antiques and there are 45 brocante (a mixture of antiques and bric a brac) shops on one stretch of road. On the 1st Sunday of May Pezenas hosts the "Grand Deballage", a day when all of the brocante dealers take over the streets and display their wares. There's also the "Foire a Brocante" held in October each year.
Or how about a gourmet weekend? There's no shortage of good restaurants and every Saturday the Pezenas market offers a huge range of local cheeses, olives and other local specialties. Plus there are some beautiful little port towns for a seafood splurge within 20 minutes' drive.
Learn French! You don't need a big city to find great French classes.
Take part in one of the many festivals such as the Festival du Poulain in February, the Cavalcade in May or the Occitan festival in December.
Wine is always a good reason to visit anywhere in my book! There are lots of great boutique wineries just waiting to be discovered around Pezenas.
Use it as a base for visiting the many historic villages in the area. There are many "circulades", villages built in a spiral for protection against invaders, and villages with beautiful chateaux within easy driving distance.
And finally, for those from Northern climes, you could simply come and enjoy the atmosphere of a French town and the famous 300 days of sunshine of the Herault. Even though I should be used to it by now, it's still a real treat to eat lunch outside in the sun in the middle of Winter!