Caromb Provence-Beyond (Beyond the French Riviera) ® Vaucluse (84) Population: 2640 Altitude: 185 m Nearby: [ Beaumes-de-Venise | Malaucène | Bédoin | le Barroux | Mazan | Carpentras 10 km | St. Pierre/Vassols | Dentelles Montmirail | Mont Ventoux ] Photos: The tall "campanile" tower and a café terrace (17k) An ancient stone fountain and blue shutters (26k) Below: [ History | Wine | Hiking ] Caromb is an ancient fortified village (or small town, with over 2400 inhabitants), built on a low hill on the plains south of the Ventoux mountains. The old village has narrow streets, with many vaulted passageways tunneling beneath the buildings. The village is old and neat, with an open, sunny Provençal feeling. The buildings are well restored and lived-in. The wide central area includes a large, old café that's obviously a social center, with the entire age spectrum of the population mingling in friendly discussion and argument. A tall, round tower in the heart of the old village is topped by a beautiful wrought-iron belfry (campanile), one of the nicest we've seen (photo). The tower was built in 1562, and extended upward in 1625. A café has its terrace tables sitting in the very lovely square below the tower (larger photo above). The old church in the center of the village is magnificent. It's built with beautiful, wind-worn sandstone, and steadied by buttresses and flying buttresses. The unique bell tower is a large hexagon, with a differently sized bells in each of the eight high arches. The bell tower is supposedly "incomplete"; perhaps the lack of a long-ago planned higher extension gives the bell tower the thick, wide appearance. Olive-Oil Mill There's a working oil mill (moulin à huile) in the village. Moulin à Huile Haut Frères 84330 Caromb; tel: (33) 490 62 42 05 Name The name Caromb comes from "Quairoun" which is Provençal for "carved stone"; there are large quarries nearby. First record, 13th century: Castrum Carumbo History Gallo-Roman: artifacts include a statue of Apollo. Medieval: ruled by the Lords of Baux until the 15th century, when it changed rulers a few times. The chateau was destroyed once in 1562 during the Wars of Religion and then razed in 1792 during the Revolution. In 1762 a regional irrigation system was built, with a dam at Paty, 2 km north, creating an artificial lake that's still used today. Dates Market day: Tuesday Cherry Market: daily in May Fête communale: next-to-last Sunday in Sept. Fête champêtre: 19 Apr (Lac du Paty) Foire: 22 Sept. Wine Apt is in the region of the Rhône Valley Côtes de Ventoux wines. Hiking Maps: IGN "bleue" (1:25,000) 3040 ET "Carpentras" Didier Richard (1:50,000) #27 "Ventoux" The village of Caromb sits in the midst of vineyards about a km south of the woods on the southern border of the Ventoux and Dentelles mountains. Walks from the village follow the roads through the vineyards and orchards of the region. A couple of marked trails branch off from roads north and northeast of Caromb to go through the woods up onto the slopes of the Ventoux mountains, eventually connecting with the GR91 (Grande Randonnée).