Culinary & Wine Tours > France > The Perfumes, Colours and Flavours of the Luberon
France: The Perfumes, Colours and Flavours of the Luberon
Provence, France - 4 or 7 nights
Patrick will greet you in his beautifully restored and furnished ancient farmhouse, offering incomparable comfort with a swimming pool, garden. Well sheltered in the heart of the Luberon, Roussillon offers picturesque scenery, tradition and history. Patrick and Babeth will guide and inspire you, and your spare time will be filled with new places to discover, and good restaurants to enjoy! During the afternoon, Chef Patrick will be displaying his culinary art and disclosing the secrets of Provençal cuisine. Patrick graduated from the school of Roger Vergé and has even had a cameo mention in Peter Mayle's famous book "A Year in Provence".
Highlights of this trip include:
- Wine tasting: wine of Luberon (Domaine de la Citadelle) and famous wine of Chateauneuf du
Pape
- Visit of the Lavender Museum in Coustellet and Corkscrew Museum in Menerbes and Truffle and Wine House in Menerbes (during the summer season wine lovers are welcome to participate in tasting sessions and discover the secret of regional wines)
- Fun hands-on cooking classes
- Cheese tasting (selection of the best cheese from France and Provence) and Provençal olive oil tasting
- Beautiful and antique villages of Luberon with such a difference from one to the other and the beautiful landscapes of Provence
- The Pope Palace in Avignon and the antique medieval village in Les Baux de Provence
YOUR WEEK IN PROVENCE
Day One (Saturday)
 Meet with your host in Roussillon. Guests are welcomed and shown their rooms. Lunch is offered and the itinerary and program are discussed. Guests are able to arrive at any time of the day. The usual means of arrival are via Marseille Provence Airport or by train to Avignon TGV station where you will rent a car to drive to Roussillon. (For an additional fee, Patrick can provide transfers to and from Avignon TGV station as well as transportation during the week. See fees below).
There is free time in the afternoon to rest, go for a walk, discover the old village of Roussillon or take a swim in the swimming pool. Apertif and dinner are served at 8pm.
Day Two (Sunday)
Breakfast
10am: Depart for the farmer's market of COUSTELLET where the local produce (vegetables and fruits) for your cooking is purchased. Antique dealers are also here, revealing some hidden secrets of yesteryear.
Visit of the LAVENDER MUSEUM where you can buy perfumes, soap and essence of Lavender. Afterwards there will be drinks in a local café (typical Provençal drink : PASTIS or wine)
Followed by free time during the afternoon. Some suggestions: visit to the antique Market of L'ISLE SUR LA SORGUE in the "Venice of Provence" which has one of the largest concentrations of antique dealers in France.
5pm: Hands-on cooking class where you prepare your own Provençal dinner
8pm: Aperitif and dinner.
Day Three (Monday)
Breakfast
10am: Leave for the village of MENERBES, an ancient fortified town which was once a Protestant centre in the Vaucluse. It was this village where the author Peter Mayle chose to settle and write his best selling book "A Year in Provence". Here too can be found the Corkscrew Museum, which displays history, sociology, technology and the arts from the 17th century to today. The corkscrew museum has more than 1000 pieces on exhibition ...starting with the first corkscrew forged by hand in steel, to the decorative "objet d'art" in solid gold. Let yourself be guided through the centuries and across country in the discovery of this unique collection.
 We will also visit the ancient village OPPEDE LE VIEUX the dominating ruined castle belonged to Jean Maynier, Baron of Oppedes, whose bloody crusade against the Luberon Vaudois in 1545 destroyed 11 villages. Then a visit of the olive Mill "Moulin Mathieu" and visit of the winery DOMAINE DE LA CITADELLE and wine tasting of red, white and rosé wines...these fresh and smooth flavours reveal a typical Luberon soil character
12:30pm: Lunch at Babeth's Home: Cheese and olive oil tasting and fr ee time in the afternoon. Some suggestions: Visit of CAVAILLON: the Synagogue (1772) or the Roman Cathedral ...or some shopping
54pm: Hands-on cooking class
8pm: Aperitif and dinner
Day Four (Tuesday)
Breakfast
10am: We will visit the Village of the "BORIES. These dry stone shelters, built by the local peasants and shepherds, constitute a real ethnological museum in the open air on the plateau of Gordes. They dated from 3500BC and were regularly rebuilt, using ancient methods.
We will visit the village of GORDES, the local village market and its castle which was rebuilt in the mid 16th century. The building was bought and restored by the Op Art painter Victor Vasarely. Dominating the valley of the Coulon, this village was built on a spur of mountain range.
Free time in the afternoon. Some suggestions:
- Discover the beautiful village of BONNIEUX where you can visit the Musée de la Boulangerie which gives a history of bread making.
- Discover the CEDAR FOREST...a lovely place to walk.
- Discover LACOSTE : little remains of the Marquis de Sade's château.
5pm: Hands-on cooking class
8pm: Aperitif and dinner
Day Five (Wednesday)
Breakfast
10am: VISIT ROUSSILLON : a picturesque hilltop village perched on a bed of red and yellow ochre, which has been used to color the facades of its local buildings for many hundreds of years. Also worth a visit is the Provençal Colorado on the southern side of the Doua Valley, where there are some spectacular walks through some old ochre quarries. No other village looks so warm and rich, so harmonious and inviting.
We will visit the ABBEYE OF SENANQUE, a superb Roman building, located in the heart of the small valley of the Senancole; a place for meditation thanks to the silence and the surrounding beauty.
Free time for the afternoon. Some suggestions: FONTAINE DE VAUCLUSE and the water falls; it's the source of the Sorgue river of the natural wonders of Provence. In the closed valley above the town, water erupts from an unfathomable depth to develop into a fully fledged river.
54pm : Hands-on cooking class
8pm : Aperitif and dinner
Day Six (Thursday)
Breakfast
10am: Visit to AVIGNON, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; The Palace of the Popes "the most beautiful and strongest house in the world." The Palace of the Popes is the symbol of the Church's influence over the western world during the 14th century. In July Avignon is the greatest theatre festival in the world and you can visit the Bridge Saint Benezet. The legendary bridge was built during the 12th century... The famous song Sur le Pont d'Avignon, which goes back to the 15th century, is known the world over.
Free time : Lunch and early afternoon in Avignon for shopping.
5pm : Hands-on cooking class
8pm : Aperitif and dinner
Day Seven (Friday)
Breakfast
9:30am: A visit to LES BAUX DE PROVENCE. This is a classified beautiful spot and historical monument with views across to the Camargue. Here there is much to discover of the old village : the old castle, dungeons, towers etc. The Lords of Baux built their fine citadelle here in the 10th century. Another place full of magic is the Cathedral of Images located in the antique quarry of Les Baux-de-Provence
12:30 : Free time for lunch and free time in the afternoon. Some suggestions:
- Visit the Roman archaeological site of Glanum, where extensive excavations reveal a district of Roman Houses, all constructed with inner courtyards and lined with columns
- Or shopping in Saint Remy
5pm: Hands-on cooking class
8pm: Aperitif and dinner and a diploma ceremony
Day Eight (Saturday)
Breakfast with Patrick and preparations for your departure during the morning, with the hope that we will see you again soon!
DAY COOKING CLASS
Day cooking classes begin at 3pm and end at 6pm and are followed
by dinner and wine. Classes are part hands-on/part demonstration and
include seven dishes that you will learn how to create. It is also possible to have Chef Patrick come to your holiday home in the Luberon to conduct a demonstration cooking class for you and your guests. Please inquire within for more details.
HOW TO ARRIVE
Nearest Airport/Train Station:
Marseilles Airport - about 1 hour and 15 minute drive to guesthouse
*Clients usually take the TGV High Speed Train from Paris Charles
de Gaulle Airport to Avignon Train Station (2.5 hours),
rent a car at the train station and drive about 45 minutes to guesthouse. If
you do not wish to rent a car, Patrick will pick you up and drop you
off at Avignon Train Station and drive you all week for 250€ (300€
for a couple) - this fee can be paid directly upon arrival.
| BOOKING INFORMATION |
| 2008 FEES PER PERSON |
DEPOSIT |
Seven Night program
(Saturday to Saturday)
Double Room/US$2300
Single Room Supplement/US$200
Four Night program
(Saturday to Wednesday)
Double Room/US$1400
Single Room Supplement/US$100
Day Cooking
Class/US$200 |
After availability is confirmed, a deposit of $500 per person and the completed and submitted registration form will secure your reservation. Final payment is due in full 60 days before your arrival date. |
| 2008 DATES |
INCLUDED |
All year Saturday to Saturday or Saturday to Wednesday; March 1st to December 31st
Arrival & Depart: Avignon TGV or Marseille Airport. Guests must rent a car for free time and transportation to Roussillon.
|
*Seven (7) nights' accommodations
*Welcome lunch
*Apertifs
*All breakfasts and dinners with unlimited wine
*Cheese tasting
*All excursions and fees associated with planned itinerary
*Six (6) hands-on cooking lessons |
For further inquiries or to register, click here.
CANCELLATION POLICY
-If client cancels, $500 deposit is
non-refundable
-If client cancels within 30 days of arrival, balance is
non-refundable
-If client cancels between 60 days to 30 days of arrival, 50% of
balance is refundable
*Please note that if client needs to cancel for serious family
problems or personal health issues that client may reschedule trip
for another date within one year, depending on availability.
Travel insurance is highly recommended.
CLIENT REMARKS
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