Just outside the Var in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department - and near to the famous Gorges du Verdon - Valensole is right in the heart of Lavender growing country. Valensole takes its name from the Latin words ‘Vallis’ and ‘Solis’, which mean valley of the sun. And as you take in the gorgeous stone houses bathed in the golden rays, you will see why! Held on the third Sunday in July every year, to celebrate the beginning of the harvest, the Valensole Lavender Festival is one of the largest of its kind in the world.