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Your property in Ménerbes
Superb country mas-style houses and meticulously renovated homes set amid landscaped gardens feature heavily amongst the high-end properties in Ménerbes.
The rural setting means properties are spacious and offer sedate living within easy reach of the village centre.
Inside Ménerbes
The hilltop village of Ménerbes is a splendid rural enclave, complete with winding cobbled streets and stunning panoramas across the surrounding valleys.
It became well-known thanks to British expat author Peter Mayle, whose books A Year in Provence and Toujours Provence chronicled his farmhouse renovation on the outskirts of the village in the late 1980s.
Situated in the Luberon mountains, at the foothills of the French Alps, the walled village, which has been inhabited since prehistoric times, is surrounded by magnificent countryside.
Landscape
Built on a hill, the village of Ménerbes gazes out across the Luberon.
It is situated close to other small communities, such as Lacoste and Bonnieux, and sits north of the River Durance, which traces the boundary between Vaucluse and Bouches-du-Rhône.
Education
Ménerbes does not have its own schools, however, the SVIS International School in Fuveau and the International Bilingual School on the outskirts of Aix-en-Provence are both just over an hour away.
The main further education institution is Aix-Marseille University, which ranks in the top 10 universities in the country. It traces its roots back to 1409 and offers roughly 600 courses across a multitude of disciplines.
Activities and Entertainment
Exploring the village’s remarkably preserved history, including the prehistoric Dolmen de la Pitchoune and the medieval Abbey of St Hilaire, is fascinating.
The restored houses in the village add to its sense of grandeur, something which no doubt attracted the likes of painters Nicolas de Staël and Pablo Picasso, and continues to appeal to famous artists, musicians, comedians and writers.
Given its rural location, the village is an exceptional place from which to explore the great outdoors, making hiking, cycling and other activities easy to access.
Art and Culture
The streets of Ménerbes are full of small galleries and studios, with some houses of previously resident artists now turned into museums (in the case of Jane Eakin’s house) or art foundations (Dora Maar’s house).
For an unusual experience, the Musée du Tire-Bouchon has more than 1,000 corkscrews.
The village also has a busy events calendar, with various art-related festivities and concerts throughout the year.
Food and Drink
The village is well-placed to benefit from the abundance of produce grown in the area (historically known for mushrooms and truffles) and has a small number of excellent eateries.
For a simple but delicious lunch with a view, Bistrot Le 5 focuses on French cuisine, while the Mediterranean-inspired Les Saveurs Gourmandes serves up luxurious and creative gastronomy.
The village benefits from being in the Vaucluse IGP wine area, which protects the origin of the wine produced here. The zone is home to famous winegrowing villages such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Beaumes-de-Venise and Vacqueyras, and Syrah- and Grenache-based wines make up the majority of production.
Accessibility
The nearest airport is Avignon-Provence Airport, roughly 35 kilometres away, while the high-speed TGV railway station is approximately 40 kilometres away.
Other options include Aix-en-Provence, whose airport and TGV railway station are 75 kilometres from Ménerbes, with Marseille 89 kilometres away.