St Roman de Malegarde is a small village about 35 kilometers from Avignon and 25 km from Orange (two of the exit points on the Paris/Marseille A7 motorway).

The village nestles in an area surrounded by mountains including Mont Ventoux in beautiful Provencal countryside with fields of vineyards, fruit trees, melons, lavender and sunflowers.  The village is small but very picturesque and like all French villages has its own mairie (town hall).  You will find the mairie in the village square which has a fountain and beautiful plain trees providing shade from the summer heat.  Just opposite the square is the school – a one class school for children from the age of 5 to 11.

There are approximately 350 inhabitants in the village and now quite a few holiday homes which are closed up during the winter months.  It is largely a rural grape farming community.  People are very friendly and during the course of the year there are a number of community fetes.

Our house is next to a 17th century fountain with delicious cold water from an underground spring and a cobbled pathway that takes you up towards the old 13th century church and chateau, which has now been converted into a family house as has the old boulangerie.  There is also an old Roman washhouse nearby, which is mainly used as a swimming pool by children in the summer and a washhouse by grape pickers in the autumn.