Provence Provence Provence (, ; ; "Prouvènço" , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône River to the west to the Italian border to the east, and is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south. It largely corresponds with the modern administrative "région" of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, and includes the "départements" of Var, Bouches-du-Rhône, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and parts of Alpes-Maritimes and Vaucluse. The largest city of the region is Marseille. The Romans made the region the first Roman province beyond the Alps and called it "Provincia Romana", which
Banon, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence a small amount sold on the regional market. Currently the surface area of vineyards is insignificant. In late 2010 there were 31 establishments in the secondary sector (industry and construction) employing 55 employees. Banon has become famous for its small goat cheeses wrapped in dry chestnut leaves and tied with raffia strings. The Banon cheese factory employs 38 people. Over 600,000 individual cheeses are produced each year. Banon cheese is the only appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. The phosphate mines are closed but the quarry is exploited by "Carrières de Haute-Provence" (Haute-Provence Quarries) who still process