Sunday, March 20, 2011

Lourmarin, A Beautiful Village in the Luberon

There are many Vaucluse villages we have not visited so we are trying to visit some of those rather than returning to the same villages over and over. One of the villages we had not visited was Lourmarin in the southernmost part of the Luberon.

I guess Lourmarin was at the top of my list to visit because it is classified as a Plus Beaux Villages de France - one of seven small Vaucluse villages classified as most beautiful villages of France and the English author Peter Mayle who wrote A Year in Provence and other books about Provence lives there. I should mention that Julie over at Provence Post has reported the house is for sale so that may be changing soon.

We arrived in Lourmarin late one Friday morning just as the weekly market was wrapping up. I didn't know there was a market on Friday mornings or I would have made sure we got there earlier so we could wander through the market, one of our favorite things to do.

Lourmarin is nestled in the middle of vineyards and olive groves just north of the Durance River at the foot of the Montagne du Luberon. The inhabitants of Lourmarin are called Lourmarinois.


Lourmarin was bustling with people finishing up morning shopping before heading home for lunch and tourists staking out tables for lunch at one of the cafe's that line the street.


Lourmarin is very picturesque village although not as compact or cute in my opinion as some of the other more famous villages nearby.


Brasserie Insolite where we ate lunch. Since our visit to Lourmarin was spur of the moment, I didn't do any research about local restaurants or reserved a table so we decided to eat here since it was cute and we could get a table. More about lunch in my next post.


We wandered in and out of the shops but didn't find anything that we had to buy.


All roads seem to converge on the intersection near Cafe de la Fontaine.


Another view of the center of Lourmain.


There are many narrow winding streets to explore.


The architecture is typical of a Provencal village.


Pretty shutters on a window with a pretty flower box.


Another pretty house that caught my eye.


I love all the blue you see on the walls of homes and shops.


One of several interesting fountains we saw on our walk around Lourmarin.


The Romanesque church of St. Andre.


A fortress was first built at this site in the 12th century and was rebuilt by Foulques d'Agoult in the 15th century on the foundations of the earlier castle. It was restored in 1920.


Another pretty house and arched passage we passed as we made our way back to our car to return to Sablet.


Bonne journée mes amies et à bientôt.

9 comments:

  1. Here, you were only about 15 minutes from my town, on the other side of the Durance. Lourmarin has a very chic reputation, but I agree, that it's not the most picturesque Provençal village. I think it's the countryside around the town that gives it it's charm.

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  2. Too bad you missed the market -- it's one of my favorites in the area, not too big, but not too small.

    I love Lourmarin more than any other village in France and have spent several weeks there over the years. I guess it's a good thing we don't all like the same one best, because it would be far too crowded!

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  3. Meredith - We will return I'm sure but I agree with you. We go past Lourmarin often as we go to Rognes to see my cousin who lives there.

    Chris - I am sorry we missed the market. I heard it is a nice one. We will have to return to do more exploring.

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  4. Looks like a beautiful little town! I love how cute small French towns are.

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  5. Enjoying your blog. My wife and I will be visiting the Luberon in June and I was wondering if you could recommend a property where would could rent a Gite for 4 days. Thanks!
    Peter

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  6. Looks like a place for me to add to my places to visit list! I should seriously get out and about with the camera whilst I'm in provence but finding the energy to do so at the moment is hard. I'm glad I can visit virtually through your blog :)

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  7. Camille - I love the small villages of France; Lourmarin is definitely worth visiting.

    Peter - Thanks for checking in on my blog. 4 days will be hard I think because most rentals are generally 7 days. Also, believe it or not, you may find most people have already rented out their homes for June. I would check out VRBO.com and see what you find there.

    Piglet - Nice to hear from you. I hope everything is going well with your pregnancy. I will be waiting to hear the big news. You will have to return afterwards for picture taking.

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  8. Chris - I went to your blog and read your various posts about your stay in Bedoin and then in Lourmarin. I enjoyed your descriptions and pictures very much. We are practically neighbors here in Northern California.

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  9. Thank you! I'm an irregular blogger as you can see, only inspired to post when I'm traveling or when I'm inspired by my vegetable garden.

    I really enjoy your blog and envy your frequent trips to Provence!

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