In Lourmarin: the village triangle

November 14, 2022

Today’s post is a photo dump masquerading as a bike ride. And a hike.

Lourmarin

It was a last minute decision to stay a third night in Lourmarin. We’d always intended to stay here the first two nights. It made the list because it’s the natural springboard for the planned ride south to Aix-en-Provence, because it looks like a good base for a day ride or hike, and because as one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France there’s probably plenty to see in the town itself.

Also, I want to stay here for sentimental reasons. We briefly stopped in here before, around midday 25 years ago on our ride from Pertuis to Bonnieux. I remember it fondly for the market that was underway when we biked in to the center of the village, and for the roasted half-chicken I picked up from one of the stalls and devoured on the spot. That as much as anything defines my memory of our first visit to Provence. It was incredible, probably the best experience with a chicken of my life.

We added the third day because of the weather, which suddenly looks most foul for the next two days. It’s not a particularly easy ride from here to Aix, and we don’t really want to undertake it on what looks like will be a very wet day. The forecast predicts significant improvements two days out, so we’ll hole up in the excellent apartment we’ve booked here and wait for them.

Waking up this morning, the weather prediction looks accurate. Most of today looks like it will be wet, as will all day tomorrow. It’s dry at the moment though, so soon after breakfast I leave our shelter for a tour of the town. It looks like I’ve got a couple of hours to work with. Rachael’s not ready to take off so soon after breakfast, so she’ll leave for a walk later and hope she doesn’t get too wet when she does.

Lourmarin is a small place, with a fairly limited list of essential sights. For me they include the cemetery and the chateau, and enough of a look at the town itself to get a flavor for it. Roasted chicken of course would give it the best flavor, but it’s not market day.

Loumerin’s quite pleasant this morning, its streets nearly empty. Not like yesterday when we came in and they were filled with the Sunday day trippers. I’m getting the best look at it I can hope for, but I have to say that as nice as it is it doesn’t feel like one of the most beautiful villages in France to me, not when stacked up against places like Conques, Rocamadour, Vezelay and Roussillon. I wonder what the background on its designation is. Maybe it has lost some of its character through mass tourism? It probably didn’t help that Peter Mayle lived here and so many people come to Provence to see the quaint villages of the Luberon he popularized in A Year in Provence.

I complete my loop of the village and am just returning to the room when I look up and see Rachael crossing the street in front of me, just starting her own walk. I have the only key to the room, so we walk back to it together so I can get in and then I hand it over to her. That way if conditions improve I can go out again rather than needing to stay around to let her in when she returns.

Across the street from our apartment is the public fountain, dating back to the 17th century. ‘Eau non potable’ the sign above warns, and I believe it.

On my way to the cemetery I get a view of the chateau and the nearby Protestant temple.

The Lourmarin cemetery is a typical assembly of impressive graves, but there’s a surprisingly modest one tucked in on the right.

It seems fitting that it’s such a low-key memorial. I think he would have approved.

Lourmarin, with the Luberon rising behind.

The belfry, built on the site of an old castle.

The Lourmarin Chateau, the first renaissance castle built in Provence. It had fallen into ruins until its renovation early in the 20th century.

The grounds below the chateau. Interesting how slanted all the pines are.

The memorial to Robert Laurent-Vibert, who initiated the restoration of the chateau. This is the statue you can see at the far end of the photo above.

I passed this field below the chateau at least four times before we finally left town. There are always donkeys here.

Looking into the mouth of the gorge, which begins right out of town. Lourmarin is certainly sited in a spectacular setting.

Ansouis

I’m back at the room for an hour when I realize that the weather is giving me an unexpected break - maybe four hours, if I leave now. I have a 40+ loop ride to the east already loaded to the Garmin just in case, so I leave planning to ride at least part of it. I’m thwarted immediately though, when I somehow delete the ride from my device rather than starting it - something I’ve never done before. Brain fart.

It’s fine though. I’m just out for a ride to the east, and my one certain goal is the nearby village of Cucheron. Rachael and I stayed there back in 2003 and I have warm memories of it and would like to see it again, so I stare at the map and start biking.

Brain fart number two - I miss my turn and discover that I’ve veered off to the southeast, with a different village rising up on a hill a few miles ahead of me. This is fine too though - it looks interesting seen from below, so I’ll visit it as long as I’m here and then study the map again.

On the way to Cucheron, or at least that’s the plan.

What’s this place, I ask? Ansouis, the Garmin responds in its quiet way. Never heard of it, but I might as well bike up there and have a look.

I’m startled as I bike up to town when I pass by a sign identifying Ansouis as one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France. This place too? It’s a little embarrassing - after saying we don’t really seek these places out, here I am at my third in as many days.

Ansouis doesn’t feel like Rocamadour or Vezelay or Conques either. In fact it feels pretty dead. There’s almost nobody around and only minimal sign of a commercial presence. It looks like there’s a B&B here and a cafe and a few shops, but really not much else. It’s quite interesting though and well worth the trek up. More interesting than Lourmarin really, in my humble opinion.

Entering the upper village through the Petit Portail.

It looks like there’s lodging here, in season at least.

At the top of the village, the passageway to the village in front of the church.

A spectacular view to the west, if I’ve got my bearings right.

I’m a little mixed up by the monumental structures at the top - the church, the citadel, the consul house. They all blend together.

The corner of the same structure that houses the church. The whole thing looks more fortification than house of worship. This corner looks like it was designed by Vauban.

I understand that the interior of Saint Martin Church was used as a film location for Jean de Flourette and Mannon of the Spring. I’ll have to look for that when I watch them again some winter night.

Cucheron

I’ve spent far longer poking around Ansouis than I’d anticipated, and I’m starting to run out of day and perhaps dry weather. The direct way back is a bit shorter, but it doesn’t add much to swing by Cucheron on the way so I decide to do that and have a quick look to see if it jogs any memories.

Cucheron does bring back memories, and earns some admiration. There’s quite a bit to see here, and it has a respectable character - there’s support for tourism, but the place doesn’t look dominated by it. It’s worth more than the half hour or so I have to poke around, but unfortunately that’s all I’ve got. It’s about four when I leave, and it’s looking grey and like rain could break out at any minute. It’s a good thing that it’s downwind and generally downhill for the ride back to Lourmarin, and that I don’t get lost this time.