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Menerbes – the “floating” village
Allow yourself time to be swept away by the quiet beauty of Menerbes. Like Gordes, on the other side of the Luberon valley, Menerbes is labelled “Most Beautiful Village”, but you’ll discover a very different kind of soul.
The legacy of the famous artists who settled in the village - Picasso, Dora Maar, Nicolas de Stël, Jane Eakin and Joe Downing to name a few – have left their mark. Not to mention the late, great Peter Mayle who lived there and featured the town in many of his novels.
As you walk the cobblestone and narrow lanes passing houses from the 15th, 17th and 18th centuries, you won’t be distracted by postcards and lavender sachets for sale. The mass of tourists tend to stay in Gordes and Roussillon so Menerbes is an ideal spot for lunch and a peaceful stroll through a typical Provencal village. There are two bakeries in the village and a general store. Just enough to pick up some snacks for a light lunch you can enjoy perched on a bench in the shade at the top of the village in front of the 16th century church Saint Luc.
Nostradamus described Menerbes as being like a big ship drifting on a sea of vineyards and orchards...