Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
to 18th-century church, under constant restoration, hosts concerts during August and cel-
ebrates mass in honour of Oppède's patron saint on 10 August. Signs from the car parks
also direct you to the
Sentier Vigneron d'Oppède
, a 1½-hour viticulture trail through
olive groves, cherry orchards and vineyards; panels explain grape varieties, how to train
vines etc.
In the village, get the low-down on local artists at
L'Atelier des Cendres
( 04 90 76
75 10;
www.denisbouniard.com
; 10am-1pm & 3pm-7pm Mon-Sat summer, Mon-Fri
winter)
gallery, which carries pretty ceramics.
Le Petit Café
( 04 90 76 74 01;
www.petitcafe.fr
;
place de la Croix; lunch/dinner menus €18/19-25;
closed Tue dinner
and Jan-Feb)
serves meals and snacks on the old village square.
Oppède-les-Poulivets (or just Oppède), the new village (population 1250), is 1km north
of Oppède-le-Vieux and home to
Les Artisanales en Provence
( 09 73 85 63 58, 04 32
52 17 85;
http://artisanales-provence.fr
/
; La Bastide des Minguet, 1367 Route des
Petitons; open daily)
, which sells 40 varieties of farm-made jams and condiments.
Just west of Maubec, on the road to Robion,
Domaine Faverot
( 04 90 76 65 16;
www.domainefaverot.eu
;
771 rte de Robion)
is a former silk farm that houses an excellent
winery, with good-value prices. If it's quiet, Sally and François eagerly provide behind-
the-scenes tours. Four lovely cottages (with swimming pool) overlook the vineyards
(doubles per week from €890). Using no chemicals, Domaine Faverot produces only a
few thousand cases annually, all of Rhône varietals (syrah, grenache, roussanne) - and at
€8 to €13 a bottle, you may want to ship some home!
Shaded by 200-year-old oaks,
Hôtel La Bastide du Bois Bréant
(501 Chemin du Puits
de Grandaou, Maubec)
is a 2-hectare former truffle plantation sprawled behind an iron
gate. The 1825 mansion houses 12 romantic rooms, done in upmarket country-Provençal
style. Outside are two cosy
cabanes perchées
- bonafide tree houses (no electricity, but
with shower and toilet). The expansive grounds include that rarest of treats in Provence: a
heated pool. Table d'hôte costs €28. The valley-floor location is ideal for cycling, and it's
halfway between Gordes and Ménerbes - perfectly placed for day trips.
