Voyage into the Vaucluse, a Provencal experience

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Anne Suire, Apt, Bonnieux, Brigitte Vanin, brocanteurs, Edith Mezard Lumieres, Famous antiquaire, Isle sur la Sorgue, Jean Faucon marblized faience, Jean-Jacques Bourgois, Luxury Travel Consultant2, Michel Biehn, Nicod, Provencal textiles, shopping the flea markets & brocantes of Provence, Vaucluse, Vincent mit l'ane

At the northern gate of Provence, the Vaucluse exudes a cultured air. Its rich past – Roman inheritance in Orange, papal legacy in Avignon, while the perched villages of Luberon seem purpose built for holiday homes. The villages are not perched by accident and the ramparts of Avignon were not for show – Defense was the motives for both. On Mont Ventoux , the Monts de Vaucluse or rmote parts of the Luberon, you are truly in Provence at its most elemental.

When you venture east of Avignon you will witness the Provencal landscape, small villages, fruited plains and consistently fine cuisine.

The quintessential village perche of Gordes, spirals up around a rocky outcrop above the imergue valley on the edge of the Vaucluse plateau. The Gordes village is threaded by small , paved alleyways called Calades fanning out from the center piece, the 1520 chateau. A display of oversize objects gives both Mick and Gerard Nicod’s antique shop in L’isle sur la Sorgue a dreamlike ambiance, it is probably one of the most famous Antiquaire and one that specializes in the detritus of old -fashioned country life.

L’Isle sur La Sorgue is the antique mecca of the region, with probably more than 200 brocanteurs ( antiques dealers) and a huge Sunday morning market.It spills down the Avenue des quatre otages, where the merchandise is a mixed bag. The best merchandise is in the shops along the street.

Some of the top antique dealers are Jean-Jacques Bourgois, owner of Vincent mit l’ane. He specializes in antique Provencal chairs, such as 1800s walnut chair. Accurate reproductions are selected and manufactured  by the owner Jean-Jacques Bourgois, an authority on the subject.

Michael Biehn is an expert in traditional Provencal textiles, he carries a selection of 18th-century handwoven linen sheets as well as 18th -19th-century Provencal quilts, which are made of hand-block-printed cotton.It is a great shop with superb linens and fabrics.

The Vaucluse has a very long history of artisanship. A few of their heirs are located in the Luberon. In the tiny town of Lumieres, Edith Mezard is known for her custom-made pillows and linens hand -embroidered with monograms or words. Brigitte Vanin’s showroom is located in Bonnieux, she  specializes in fine tiles. It takes her one month to make enameled terra-cotta tiles and they are entirely handmade.

Jean Faucon’s studio is located in Apt and is one of my favorite marbleized faience. He uses an 18th-century technique revived by his grandfather. The swirling patterns are not due to the application of glaze but in the clay itself. Faucon is the sixth generation of his family to handcraft Aptware ( marbleized faience) which gets its very distinctive look from the area’s colored clays: red, green, brown, white and yellow. Faucon will show visitors around his workshop, which is just outside Apt.

Anne Suire

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Les Calades in Gordes

Nicod Isle sur la Sorgue

Nicod Antique store in L’Isle sur la Sorgue.

Edith Mezard in the tiny village of Lumieres

Edith Mezard , Eau de Linge

Jean Faucon

Jean Faucon in Apt

Jean Faucon

Jean Faucon

Country Tables . A culinary experience

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Apt, Arles, Avignon, basilic, bistros, Cavaillon, chez Bru, Eygalieres, farmers markets, garlic, Gordes, Jules Pernod, La Charcuterie, Le Bistro de France, Le bouquet du Basilic, le jardin du quai, numero 75. Bistro de Luxe, Provence, St Remy

In the French countryside, nothing compares to a multi- course dinner, but the noon- to three-o’clock slice of the day provides the fresh opportunity for leisurely lunches, with fresh-from -the-market ingredients. The best bistros in Provence possess four basic characteristics: a distinct personality, intimacy , a very convivial atmosphere, and a very generous spirit.

In Arles, the owners of La Charcuterie, wanted to create a bistro for friends and they succeeded. The space has a very modest decor of red-velvet banquettes and pig figurines. The menu features the main courses featuring Charolais beef and grilled duck, a carnivore’s dream.

With its Michelin two-star rating and refined interior, the Bistro d’Eygalieres has maintained while offering a menu of exquisitely nuanced regional cuisine. A lunch at the Bistro de Luxe, located a few miles away, south of the road between St-Remy  and Cavaillon, might include grilled fillet of baby pig and a wonderful Gazpacho of fragrant strawberries.

The former Avignon mansion of Jules Pernod, creator of the liquor of the same name, now houses Numero 75. Behind an iron gate, 75 feels like a secret garden, fragrant with mimosa, bougainvillea, and lemon. Regarding the menus, they are short, with a few choices, such as pan-roasted guinea hen and a wonderful lemon confit.

L’isle sur la Sorgue is east of Avignon, a riverside town you will find a great little bistro, le jardin du Quai, a great restaurant to open in the past five years. The menu is very sophisticated and market fresh ( cod fillet, a poached peach in sugar syrup) is served in a retro atmosphere, complete with an old zinc bar and vintage tables.

In Gordes, one of the small perched villages of Luberon, it’s not easy finding authentic, reasonably priced food. Le Bouquet du Basilic, tucked behind a souvenir shop, are very adorable discoveries. Most of the dishes include the owner’s fresh basil and locally pressed olive oil.

In the little town of Apt, at Le Bistro de France , meals are as good as the best home cooking is : fresh and very generously served.On the menu, seasonal specials and menu classics like the tasty Blanquette de Veau – a creamy veal stew that’s the ultimate bistro comfort food and it is is truly no surprise that the Bistro plays to a full house.

Where to stay

Chez Bru, 4 rooms for rent above a 2-star restaurant. Rue de La Republique, Eygalieres;www.chezbru.com

Hotel d’ Europe. 16th- century mansion on the city’s central square. 12 Place Crillon, Avignon. http://www.heurope.com

Eygalieres

Gordes in Provence

Bistro 75

L’hotel Particulier, houses in an 18th-century pavillon, Rue de La Monnaie, Arles; hotel-particulier.com

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The Perfect Trip to Provence

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Apt, Bastide de Capelongue, Bonnieux, candied fruits, market, Provencal cooking, Truffles

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The South of France is a vision as much as it is a place – of a coast that inspired …

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Hiking, the best way to discover the Vaucluse and the Luberon/ Part 2

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Apt, auberge du Luberon, candied fruits, Christian, hiking, Roman, Saignon, Truffles

Hike from Apt to Saignon

Apt‘s history goes back to Roman times when it was a prosperous ancient city. Remnants of its days as a Christian bishopric are also visible  in its gorgeous 11th-century Saint-Anne Cathedral. Today  the town is loved for its candied fruits, jams, lavender essence and truffles and a very colorful market that teems with Provencal produce on Saturday mornings. When you arrive in Apt park your car in the cours Lauze-de-Perret car park in the east of town,and then you are ready to set out on your hike. On foot your will have to take D48 and walk along until you see the Auriane track on the left, you will then head left and cross the bridge over the Rimayon river. As the road sweeps left you will have to keep walking straight along the path that climbs the hill, then bear left and and follow a tarmac path for ( 164ft) until you eventually get to the Ginestiere crossroads. Once you get there stay to your right and follow the D174 to get to the village entrance, which leads to the pretty place de la Fontaine.

Saignon is not very well known by tourists. If you go there visit the Prieure and Farm built in the middle ages on a Gallo- Roman site and continued to expand until the 19th-century. The church contains Medieval frescoes , and the excavations of a first-century villa are seen through a grill in the floor. Exhibitions are staged in the farm while the gardens are devoted to historic and scented plants. To get to Saignon, make a turn left on Rue du Bourget and walk about ( 330 ft) until you reach a cobbled path, on your left that leads to kind of a square in the parking lot. At the bottom of the car park, you will find a path winding around the village’s ramparts. After the last house take a deep breath and climb the steps to the main castle ruins and marvel at the vistas from the lookout point. Then go back down the ramparts before going left and joining the D174. From place de la Fontaine backtrack to the Ginistere crossroads, and turn right. After the bend, keeping Tourel (a settlement) on your left, take the short cut at the next bend and continue straight for (650 ft). At the next bend turn left along a dirt track and head straight through an oak forest and then a residential area. Continue straight , and then cross the old N100, using the steps to join the cycle path. You will have to keep going over the Cavalon River and then head up a ramp on the right to follow the D22 back to Apt. Finish your hike with a hearty French meal at Auberge du Luberon http://francemarket.com/auberge-luberon, located in a century- old  building in the city’s historic center.

Luberon, Provence.