Villages of Vaucluse: Gordes & Lacoste - by kerouac2

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The villages of Provence always hold a certain fascination for me, because you realise that basically people just picked up lots of rocks to build their houses, streets, churches and everything else. Even though there was always lots of scraggly vegetation, it took an enormous amount of work to create viable agricultural field and to find reliable sources of water that would still be there in the dry season. While plenty of the villages were built in the easier flat places next to a stream or river, what really amazes me are the villages that were voluntarily built on inconvenient hillsides. Yes, I understand that security was another thing to take into consideration, so people who made the extra effort to live in a harder-to-get-to place were probably rewarded with an extra 3 or 4 years of life before dying of the plague or other such things.

Gordes is considered to be one of the most beautiful villages of France. After Avignon, it is the most visited place in the department of Vaucluse.





I don't know if I would feel completely secure on a balcony like this.



Anyway, I drove up to the village and miraculously found a parking spot. You have to pay 4€ whether you spend 10 minutes or 24 hours.



I was at the foot of the local château, but where to go?



Clearly, there were charming places for people to dawdle.



The tourist office was up these steps to the château, but I didn't go there. I had no interest in the château anyway.



I just followed some of the streets, and yes, the locals actually drive on them, usually in a huge SUV.







But basically, whenever I go to a hilltop village, the most urgent thing for me is to see the panorama.

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Obviously, a lot of the streets are lovely, even when there is not a panorama.

My artist friend Marie Morel lived in this village for a few years, as have many other artists, including Marc Chagall and Victor Vasarely. François Mitterrand had a house here, now owned by daughter Mazarine Pingeot. Roman Polanski also has a house here.

I just cannot imagine having a car in a place like this, at least next to my house.







The church seemed nice and cool and the blue walls made it seem even cooler.

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It was pretty much impossible not to keep arriving at panoramas.







I was very happy to have recovered from a recent asthmatic spell or steps like these would have finished me off.



You know what? When I see a town like this, I never think "Oh, I'd love to live here!" I wonder "where on earth do they buy food?"



The war monument was the central point of the village. Usually it's off by the cemetery or something.



I don't think I missed anything important by not visiting the château.







After leaving Gordes, I stopped to take one last look at it and also take a portrait of my pleasant little Fiat 500

[Deleted]

After leaving Gordes, I was more or less driving at random, just trying to follow the green outlined roads on my Michelin map ("scenic routes").

A road sign indicated that I was very close to the Pont Julien, so I went there. It was built by the Romans and remained in service until 2005, more than 2000 years when a new bridge was built next to it. As a little boy, I was taken over the Pont du Gard as well, another Roman road that remained in use for more than 2000 years. Things were built to last back then. Well the Pont Julien is really very short and looks quite fragile compared to lots of other Roman constructions.

An earlier wooden bridge had been destroyed by floods, but it's not hard to see why the original builders didn't think there was much risk.



Workers were removing weeds and doing other minor maintenance when I was there.







Here is the new bridge. I don't know if it will last 2000 years. That would be the year 4014.



Continuing along the road, I didn't know what this place was, but I felt that a visit was in order.



But I had to stop dead in my tracks when I saw some lavender fields that had not yet been harvested.

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I knew nothing about the village of Lacoste, but in any case, there were fewer tourists than in Gordes.



I could happily spend a summer holiday in some of these houses.



I wasn't sure where the streets were going other than "up."



Unlike Gordes, where one could park nearly at the top of the hill, in Lacoste you park at the bottom and have to walk up.











I kept following the path to the château, but all of these stones were baking hot by now!

[bjd]

You know what? When I see a town like this, I never think "Oh, I'd love to live here!" I wonder "where on earth do they buy food?" 

I guess I'm as down-to-earth as you are, Kerouac. That's how I feel too. I suppose they get in their SUV's an drive to the nearest town where there is a large supermarket.

I find these places really picturesque too, but wouldn't want to spend any time in them. Hot as hell in summer, and cold in winter when the mistral blows. Not to mention that many of the houses are closed up because their owners live in Paris.

[htmb]

You certainly had some lovely views, but early morning or very late in the afternoon appears to be a more preferable time to walk those stones in the summer. Villages such as these intrigue me, too, but I think spring or fall would be a more optimum time to visit. I'm a sucker for fields of lavender, so appreciate the photos you took, especially since the only picture of lavender I got on my last trip was that spread across the top of a grave.

Were there many people about or did the towns feel fairly isolated?

[Deleted]

Jul 22, 2014 7:03:39 GMT bjd said:

I guess I'm as down-to-earth as you are, Kerouac. That's how I feel too. I suppose they get in their SUV's an drive to the nearest town where there is a large supermarket.

I think I may have seen one of these villagers when I went to an Auchan hypermarket in the suburbs of Avignon. The woman was buying multiples of everything -- not just one six-pack of toilet paper but 3 six-packs. Same for paper towels and a number of other non perishables, and also plenty of canned goods and cleaning products. For fresh items, they are still obliged to buy things closer to home.

Jul 22, 2014 10:29:15 GMT htmb said:

Were there many people about or did the towns feel fairly isolated?

Gordes (pop. 2056) seemed pretty "active," considering, even though it wasn't the main time for the tourist hordes. It is probably big enough to attact people from the even smaller surrounding villages. Lacoste (pop. 408) was not exactly a hotspot, but the tourist trade at least ensures that it has a couple of cafés and restaurants, which most villages that size would not normally have. These were at the bottom of the village next to the main road.

[Deleted]

After having made such an effort to climb to the top of the village, I decided to visit the château of the Marquis de Sade. That is his silhouette surrounding the entrance.







It is really hard to imagine travel in those days. Can you imagine riding in this thing about 600 kilometres from Paris?

Okay, time for our little history lesson, straight from the brochure. The base of the château on just one level was built in the 13th century and then it was built up a little over the years. In 1710, the owner the Marquise of Crillon, who had no children, willed it to her cousin Gaspard François de Sade, who was the grandfather of the guy we have heard about. So, the Marquis himself received the château as a wedding gift in 1763. He enlarged the château quite a bit, but he sold it in 1796 and then it was sold again at an auction in 1816 for the princely sum of 120 francs. The new owner was a stone mason so he immediately disassembled the château and sold off just about everything that could be carried away. In 1893 another mason bought the ruins and continued to take the château apart. A new owner in 1943 decided to start putting the château back together, beginning around 1955 and he kept working away at it until he died in 1994. These places look so old when they really aren't! Final chapter -- the man's widow more or less gave the château to Pierre Cardin in 2001, so he is in charge of the upkeep now and apparently must use it privately from time to time, or at least that's what I assume from the furnishings indoors.

There is a lovely view from the windows of course.

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The new lord of Lacoste Pierre Cardin seems to have obtained full artistic freedom for decorating the village.









Oh, but that's a minor detail. There is still plenty of old stuff to admire.















Even down by the main road, the "Cardin touch" can be found here and there.

Nevertheless, I was pleased with my visit and will certainly explore some other places on my next trip.

[anshjain97]

Very nice pictures. The place reminds me a bit of both Positano, Italy (by the way the buildings are up the hill) and Eze.

[lagatta]

anshjain, there are many, many hilltowns like that in Italy.

[tod2]

Yes indeed Kerouac - Gordes is definitely one of the most beautiful villages in France as it features in my wonderful book "The Most Beautiful Villages Of France" by Dominique Reperant.
There is a short outline of the history. It interested me to know during the second World War the village was an active centre of resistance; It was bombarded in 1944 and awarded the Croix de Guerre on 11 November 1948.

Talking about living there - In the early 19thC the population was over 1,500. By 1866 it had dropped to 1,100 and to 651 in 1886. In 1911 there were 366 inhabitants, in 1934 - 232. The book says the population today is 399 , but that was at the time of going to print. The last re-print was 2002 so whether that's an update???

The photos are really lovely and one can enjoy the feel of an ancient village in all its rustic charm! I noticed the most prolific plant is Oleander - it gives bright blooms against the beige of the stone walls.

Will comment on the rest of photos later....

[Deleted]

Those population figures must just be for the upper village, because Gordes is also comprised of some of the small hamlets at the base. The Wikipedia article shows a low point of total population in 1946 with 953 inhabitants. Thie high point was in 1806 with a population of 3010 and the figure for 2011 is 2056.

[tod2]

Well, in the book it only shows a large photo similar to the very first one you took - and one road which could be the same as your photo directly after the one with the two swimming pools so I guess they are referring to the upper village. I think the figures could be very out of date as the book has been reprinted at least 6 times.

Looking at the next set of photos and the house of Pierre Cardin - It seems rather stark for a man of his wealth. I think he should loose that tatty old wall hanging  .
I was looking at the building in the second to last photo. I wondered what the top door/window was for and then the one below it.... lovely Begnonia Cherera over the arched door! And as for the lavender....too beautiful for words!

One cant help feeling that at night those little streets must be very dark. There cannot be any crime I'm sure.
Your photos have taken us all on a wonderful tour of a place I most probably will never see. Thank you!

[kerouac2]

The French news has been full of reports against what Pierre Cardin has done to Lacoste. He bought everything available in the village, renovated it, and left it empty. So the last bakery and the last café closed and were not replaced. He was interviewed the other day (at age 97) and thinks that he has done nothing wrong.

[bjd]

Did he buy himself a space at the cemetery?

[lagatta]

That is horrific. I don't mind the sculptures, but destroying the village was a crime. Yes, I saw the report. He was from the Veneto, by the way. CarDIN.

[bixaorellana]

That is tragic and disgusting. I hope at least that the townspeople who sold to him overcharged mightily.

[lugg]

I have not seen the reports but will seek them out. I think this is the first time I've seen your report from 2014 - the villages are really lovely but agree it is the panoramas from the top that really make them stand out. The lavender fields are so lovely , I would love to visit one day. Can you smell the lavender in the fields? Always wondered about that.

[kerouac2]

Aug 27, 2019 23:49:49 GMT bixaorellana said:

I hope at least that the townspeople who sold to him overcharged mightily.

The people who sold were happy with the price. It's the people who are still living there who are upset that the village was killed.