There are lots of different melons, from the ubiquitous cantaloupe to the fabulously expensive Yubari King. And the best of them all comes from a small town in Provence called Cavaillon.

Melon de Cavaillon has a history that goes back centuries, to the days of the Avignon Papacy. The popes needed good melons to eat, so seeds were brought from Italy to Provence, and the magic began.

The good people of Cavaillon love this melon so much that they’ve a built a giant statue in its honor. They have an annual melon festival where a hundred white Camargue horses race through the streets. And Alexandre Dumas was such a fan that he practically made the melon a fourth musketeer.

What is so great about the melon de Cavaillon? Find out in Perfectly Provence!