The roofs of the village and the remains of old ramparts (Photo: Ajax)

Bonjour ! A big Thank You to kind reader, Rusty, for sending me two beautiful postcards from France. For this week’s Wednesday Postcard, I’m pleased to share one of them that features the skyline of Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt, a village in the Vaucluse department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region in southeastern France.

The name of the village comes from the martyrdom of Saint-Saturnin, or Sernin, who was the first bishop of Toulouse in the 3rd century. In 1794, “lès Apt” was added to the name to indicate its location near the commune of Apt. This is helpful as there are dozens of other places in France named Saint-Saturnin or Saint-Sernin, not to mention the basilica in Toulouse (which I’ve had the pleasure of visiting in 2018!)

According to the official website of Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt, the church shown on the postcard was built from 1858 to 1862 on the site of St-Étienne, a church that was built in the 10th century. The current church’s bell tower houses a manual Provençal carillon of eleven bells.

Rusty says it’s a living village, but non touristy. “We have a church, two boulangeries, a pharmacy, incredible restaurants, Tuesday marché, a convenience store, weekly art exhibits, and the list goes on. However, most important, it is a community that preserves the village and supports all of the people who live and visit here.”

Sounds like a wonderful place to be! Thanks again to Rusty for the beautiful postcards of Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt! 🐶

Over the years, I have accumulated hundreds of postcards from around the world, which I’ve either purchased from my local antique shops or received from thoughtful family and friends who know I collect them. When I travel, I also like to send myself a carte postale just for fun!

I hope these postcards will make you want to revisit a favorite vacation spot or to embark on a journey to the destination of your dreams.

And if you’ve been to the destination featured, tell me about your experience there – I’d love to hear from you.

Until the next Wednesday Postcard, take care!