Aaah the ‘Art de Vivre’, the art of living, the French know what it’s all about. Although the term originally implied luxury and elegance, it’s really more about enjoying life’s simple indulgences – wandering timeless cobbled streets, savouring a pungent piece of local goat’s cheese or taking time to converse with neighbours in the market. After all, why hurry? Indeed nowhere is this way of life embraced more enthusiastically than in the beautiful Luberon region, a protected area lying in the French south between Aix-en-Provence and Avignon. Long a well-kept secret, Peter Mayle’s “A Year in Provence” put a stop to that, as visitors arrived to enjoy the long hot summers, stunning purple lavender fields, medieval churches and simple village life of the Luberon and Vaucluse ranges.
To really experience the region’s idyllic lifestyle head this way in low season. Winters can be harsh and the locals baton down their hatches. Instead try spring when days are warmer and wild flowers bloom, or autumn when golden colours light up the countryside cliff faces. Explore these, the most beautiful of Provençale villages, unchanged for a thousand years – Gordes, Roussillon, Lourmarin, Bonnieux, Lacoste, and more wait for you to discover them. During these low season periods, prices are lower, producers and restaurant owners have more time to relax and chat and you’ll find the peace you came for.
Markets
Love to shop? Well there is a Luberon market for every day of the week, selling local bread, olives, honey, cheese, pottery, and handicrafts. These ... Read more
