Pernes-les-Fontaines, a nice place between Mont ventoux, Avignon and Luberon

Small jewel between Avignon, the Mont Ventoux area and the monts de Vaucluse mountains, Pernes-les-Fontaines is a town with many architectural treasures that was once the capital of the Comtat Venaissin,.

After having been a Roman villa, then having moved from the plain to the nearby hillock and fortified itself, becoming Paternensis castri, Pernes-les-Fontaines took its current name on March 18, 1936 thanks to its large number of fountains (around thirty public fountains at the time and now around forty and as many private). Some fountains are discreet while others, prestigious fountains, are superbly decorated. This is the case of the Cormorant fountain which can be found near the covered market (17th century). It is a stone column fountain with a carved cormorant at its top. This is also the case with the Gigot fountain, which can be found near the Tour Ferrande, a tower from the 13th century.

But the fountains of Pernes-les-Fontaines are not its only wealth: 17th and 18th century mansions, old fortifications including very beautiful town doors, covered market, old keep, Notre-Dame-de-la-Rose Chapel, convent, medieval frescoes in the Ferrande tower, olive oil mill, etc.

Pernes-les-Fontaines is a city in Provence where life is good, on a human scale, with markets and events, several associations, etc.

Several Pernois have left their mark on local or national history. Among them, we can particularly note:

- The family of Berton, Lord of Crillon, from which the Brave Crillon, Henry IV's comrade in arms, comes.

- The academician Esprit Fléchier who has his birthplace there

- The 3 Brancas brothers, 1Marshal of France and 2 bishops under Louis XIV

- Esprit Blanchard, musician and chapel master of Louis XV

- The Giraud brothers, who have their birthplace there. Charles, who was minister under Tiers and Louis who was the creator of the Carpentras canal.

Near Pernes, there are several other towns with rich heritage such as Isle-sur-la-Sorgue (called the Venice of Provence), Carpentras or even Avignon, but also superb villages (Gordes, Venasque, Crillon le brave, Fontaine -de-Vaucluse, etc.) and magnificent natural landscapes such as the Monts de Vaucluse, the Luberon, Mont Ventoux or the Dentelles de Montmirail.