Les Baux-de-Provence

France

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Description

Les Baux-de-Provence (French pronunciation: ​[le bo də pʁɔvɑ̃s]; Provençal: Lei Bauç de Provença) is a French commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the province of Provence in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southern France. It has a spectacular position in the Alpilles mountains, set atop a rocky outcrop that is crowned with a ruined castle overlooking the plains to the south. Its name refers to its site: in Provençal, a bauç is a rocky spur. The name bauxite (Aluminium ore) is derived from the village name when it was first discovered there by geologist Pierre Berthier in 1821. It has been named one of the most beautiful villages in France and has over 1.5 million visitors per year although it has only 22 residents in the upper part of the commune and 436 for the whole commune. Inhabitants of the commune are known as Baussencs or Baussenques. [Source: Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Baux-de-Provence)