Geography
The Village lies in the Department of Vaucluse, in that part known as Le Haut Vaucluse-Provence des Papes (due to its proximity to Avignon and Chateauneuf du Pape – seats of the papacy in the 14th century). It sits in the pre-Alpes, close to the Giant of Provence, Mont Ventoux, the 1912 metre highest free standing mountain in France.  The village looks onto the famous lacelike limestone mountains, the Dentelles de Montmirail, which act as the meeting point between the Alpes and the plain of the mighty Rhone river.

The hills around La Roque Alric are covered with wild rosemary, lavender and thyme, oak trees at whose feet truffles and mushrooms are found, and the crops of the local farmers; olive trees, fruit trees and grapevines.

History
This was Roman Provence occupied by the Romans from around 100BC and bearing the architectural evidence of that early presence in the ruins at Vaison La Romaine, the Roman Theatre at Orange, the Roman Arenas at Arlesand Nimes, to name just a few.

After the fall of the Roman Empire the village became part of the Comtat Venaissin the name of which is still seen on local buses and the like.

The Comtat Venaissin is limited by the rivers Rhône and Durance and  Mount Ventoux. It is named after its former capital city Venasque (Vindascinum), now a village of 600 inhabitants with one of the oldest Merovingian baptisteries in France (VIth century). The capital city of the Comtat was moved in 1320 to Carpentras, where bishop Malachie d'Inguimbert founded in 1745 the famous Inguimbertine Library. The city of Avignon was never part of the Comtat Venaissin, but constituted with its outskirts the Comtat of Avignon.

In the XIIIth century, the Comtat Venaissin belonged to Alphonse de Poitiers (1220-1271), a Capetian prince, son of King of France Louis VIII and Count of Poitiers and Toulouse. Alphonse bequeathed the Comtat to the Holy See, which incorporated it in 1274. At that time, the Comtat of Avignon still belonged to the county of Provence. On 19 June 1348, Countess Jeanne (1326-1382), better known as Queen Jeanne de Naples, sold Avignon to pope Clement VI. Avignon and the Comtat Venaissin then formed the 'Papal enclave', which developed independently from France.

The economical and cultural development of the enclave encouraged the kings of France to attempt to grab it. The enclave was taken over by the French troops in 1663, 1668 and 1768-1774. Under the reign of Louis XIV, Colbert imposed extremely high customs dues. Louis XV, in 1734, forbade the Comtadins to grow tobacco and manufacture printed calicos (indiennes). However, the enclave remained a peaceful area where people did not pay taxes and were not subjected to military service. In 1791, the bourgeois and the merchants of Avignon promoted the incorporation of the enclave to France, which was effective on 14 September 1791. The Holy See recognized the annexion only in 1814.