Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ansouis
Dubbed one of France's 'most beautiful villages', Ansouis makes a worthy day-trip des-
tination. Visit the
Musée Extraordinaire
( 04 90 09 82 64; adult/under 16yr €3.50/
1.50; 2-6pm or 7pm; )
, established by Provençal painter and diver Georges Mazoy-
er, whose passion for the sea shows in the museum's fossil exhibits and oceanic art. The
palatial
Château d'Ansouis
( 04 90 09 82 70; adult/6-18yr €6/3; call for hours)
can be visited by guided tour; in August it hosts classical-music concerts at its hedged-in
courtyard. The table to book in Ansouis: tiny
La Closerie
( 04 90 09 90 54;
www.lacloserieansouis.com
;
bd des Platanes; lunch/dinner menus €25/37;
lunch Fri-
Tue, dinner Fri-Sat & Mon-Tue)
.
Have an adventure finding
L'Art Glacier
( 04 90 77 75 72; Les Hautes Terres ham-
let; vary)
, a worthy drive for ice cream that's art. Michel and Sigrid Perrière hand-craft
a heady assortment of flavours, such as lavender or sesame. Find it between Ansouis and
La Tour d'Aigues, off the D9, on a hilltop with mountain and valley views (look for signs
posted at roundabouts).
Southwest of Lourmarin
Far from madding crowds, spot some 243 species of birds at the
Observatoire Ornitho-
logique
, operated by the Parc Naturel Régional du Luberon, near the Mérindol-Mallemort
dam (signposted 1.5km from the roundabout at the entrance to Mérindol on the D973).
Watch for herons and great cormorants along the 3km-long bird sanctuary trail (1½
hours), marked with yellow blazes.
Lauris
, 10km further east, is a regal hilltop village crowned with an 18th-century
château
surrounded by terraced gardens. Tinctorial plants, many rare, grow in the
Jardin
Conservatoire de Plantes Tinctoriales
( 04 90 08 40 48; adult/child €7/free;
3pm-7.30pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct, by appointment Nov-Mar)
- workshops explore dyes made
from these plants and the little shop carries seeds, pigment and vegetal dyes. Lauris'
tour-
ist office
( 04 90 08 39 30;
www.laurisenluberon.com
;
12 place de l'Église;
9.30am-12.30pm & 2pm-5pm Mon-Fri, plus Sat morning in summer)
has details on events
at the château.
La Tour d'Aigues
is dominated by the 12th- to 15th-century
Château de Tour
d'Aigues
( 04 90 07 50 33;
www.chateau-latourdaigues.com
;
adult/student/child €5/3/
free;
10am-1pm & 3-6pm, closed Sun & Mon mornings)
. Burned in 1792, it was re-
