The Chaîne des Alpilles is a small range of mountains in Provence, southern France, located about 20 km (12 mi) south of Avignon at approximately .
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The range is an extension of the much larger Luberon range. Although it is not high - some 387 m (1,270 ft) at its highest point - the Alpilles range stands out disproportionately, as it rises apparently sheer from the plain of the Rhône valley. The range is about 25 km long by about 8 to 10 km wide, running in an east-west direction between the Rhône and Durance rivers.
The landscape of the Alpilles is one of arid limestone peaks separated by dry valleys.
The lower slopes are planted with olive and almond trees. Kermes oaks and pines also grow there. Much of the range is bare rock or stony ground covered with scrub and maquis.
The highest parts of the range are a nature reserve inhabited by a number of rare species, including Bonelli's eagle, the Egyptian vulture and eagle owl. Some of these species were introduced in the Alpilles in the 1980s.
The Alpilles were immortalized in art by Vincent van Gogh, who painted many images of the Alpilles' landscapes during his time in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence on the north side of the mountains. The painting was given by van Gogh to his Friend Eugene Boch [1]
The 12 municipalities covering the Alpilles area are to be declared a "Regional Parc", placing the area under the protection of the Natura 2000 Environmental Protection Plan of the European Union.
Alphonse Daudet's 1885 novel Tartarin sur les Alpes, which is a sequel to the 1872 Tartarin de Tarascon, takes place in the Alpilles.
The French Resistance to the German occupation of France during World War II began in the Alpilles.