Chateauneuf-du-Pape Travel Guide

671km (417 miles) S of Paris; 19km (12 miles) N of Avignon; 13km (8 miles) S of Orange

Near Provence's northern border, Châteauneuf-du-Pape was built as the Castel Gandolfo, the summer home of the French popes of Avignon, during the 14th-century reign of Pope John XXII. Today the castle ruins overlook the vast acres of vineyards planted by the popes, the start of a regional industry that today produces some of the world's best reds as well as excellent white wines.