LUBERON, Secret Provence

A haven of tranquillity and timeless tradition, breathtaking natural beauty and rich historic heritage, the Luberon embodies all the charms of the Mediterranean lifestyle and French rural living while nestling discreetly – and often undiscovered  – in the very heart of Provence. Its picturesque villages – perched dramatically on rocky crags or cocooned in bucolic valleys watered by rippling streams – cluster beneath towering medieval fortresses, Romanesque churches and Renaissance châteaux, while its landscapes glow with the ever-changing colours  of lavender and sunflowers, pine forests and fragrant garrigue, limestone rock formations and ochre cliffs, all bathed in the special light of Provence.

Exploring the winding back roads of this lovely region, this book introduces readers to some of the Luberon’s most private rural retreats and elegant hôtels particuliers, while also celebrating a litany of France’s most beautiful villages and historic buildings, including Gordes and the abbey of Sénanque, Ménerbes and Lacoste, Bonnieux and Lourmarin. Richly illustrated with specially commissioned photography throughout, it captures the magic, authenticity and discreet charms of a region that widely celebrated and yet still so little known

A historian by training, Jean-Pascal Hesse is the author of a number of books on fashion and the work of the couturier Pierre Cardin, with whom he works closely. He is also deeply attached to his Provençal roots, and especially to Salon-de-Provence, where he was born, and the Luberon, where he owns a house.