linenandlavender.net: Hotel Feature - La Bastide de Marie, Ménerbes

La Bastide de Marie

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Ménerbes floats over the Lubéron like a boat, as Nostradamus described it, because of the boatshaped rocky outcrop on which it is perched. At every corner, the winding streets of this charming Provençal village offer a wealth of wonderful surprises.

The village was named after Minerva, the goddess with the golden helmet, who represented art as well as war for just causes. Ménerbes mirrors her. Its tumultuous past has revealed its proud and combative character.

Provence is a land of vineyards and Ménerbes is no exception. The village has three wine-growing estates of several hectares, one of which, the Citadelle estate, houses the famous corkscrew museum.

Ménerbes' rich past can be seen in the two gold keys displayed in the Ménerbes armoury. They bear witness to the time when access to the village, which was riddled with underground passages, was made through two great doors, Saint-Sauveur and Notre-Dame.

...The mayor of the town, Yves Rousset- Rouard, decided to restore an 18th century house, thereby saving it from ruin, earmarking it for the Maison de Truffe et du Vin (Truffle and Wine House). Note that Vaucluse is the largest producer of truffles in France and the market on the last Sunday of the year in Ménerbes is famous throughout the region.

"A Year In Provence", the bestseller by British writer Peter Mayle, is set in Ménerbes and its surroundings.

-Excerpts from the hotel's website.

Please visit the La Bastide de Marie website for more details on the village of Ménerbes and the surrounding region as well as beautiful imagery, additional hotel details and booking information:

La Bastide de Marie