OUR VILLAGE: VAUGINES - HEART OF THE LUBERON
OUR VILLAGE: VAUGINES - HEART OF THE LUBERON
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Our rural gite can be found in the heart of the small Provencal hamlet of Vaugines in the Luberon Regional Natural Park in the south of France. Vaugines is still, for the most part, an agricultural village, surrounded by fields of vines and backed by the wooded mountain known as the Luberon.
The Provence Guide says of Vaugines, our home for more than a decade now, that it "possesses a simple charm and an authenticity that hits the spot. The village is an emblem of the Provence of the last century; wild yet charming, it has been shaped by the history of man as it has by the magic of nature. It’s like a microcosm of Provencal life built on ancient heritage, with a hand-drawn map of the town that invites you to explore every last one of the sights marked on it".
We also have a library (in an old church) and... an old church. Vaugines is a quiet village with cobbled streets and old houses - like Chez David, there's rarely a straight line in sight!
You can walk to Cucuron in some 35 minutes along quiet tracks - in this village you'll find a cinema (!), a supermarket, two bakeries and a butcher's (this is France), a pharmacy (this is France) and eight or so bars and restaurants - including the Michelin-starred Petite Maison and (this is...).
Lourmarin, this "ode to the gentle beauty of Provence in the heart of the Luberon" is better known. The burial place of Camus is a bit more upmarket with its bars and restaurants, boutiques and cobbled street.
Vaugines is still, just about, an agricultural village, surrounded by fields of vines and backed by the wooded mountain known as the Luberon (great for walking, cycling and horse-riding). There's one road that runs through it - from Cucuron with its wonderful "étang" to Lourmarin with its Albert Camus historical associations.
To go back to the vines for one moment: how great is it to be able to go to the village shop here in Vaugines and buy a wine from the vineyard you've just been strolling through? Not bad, eh (and ditto olive oil)?
Vaugines boasts an épicerie-cum-baker's, a bar that serves food (say hi to Thomas and Marjorie, and you might get a discount) and a top-notch restaurant. And, from this summer the bar is putting on breakfasts just like this one...
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