Gail Mooney/Corbis
Les Alpilles
The enduring appeal of Les Alpilles
Sometimes dubbed van Gogh' s Provence, the splendid folds of the `mini Alps' provide a perfect foil for classically understated holiday-home hideaways, says Arabella Youens
T
WELVE miles south of Avignon, the jagged ridges of Les Alpilles rise sheer from the plain of the Rhône valley. Immortalised in the
paintings of van Gogh (it was here, following the breakdown that led to his severed ear, that he spent most of his final year, being treated for what might have been a combin- ation of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder), the slopes are haphazardly strewn with olive and almond trees with occasional clusters of pine. Much of the rock is naked scrub, making up hues of pale browns and chalky grey that provide a daily drama for those lucky enough to live within the vicinity as the evening sun sets and the landscape blushes in the pink light. Lying within the folds of the foothills of
Les Alpilles is a scattering of stone-built villages. It' s said that, within these small farming communities, the French resistance to German occupation during the Second World War began. St Rémy, a town built on a round and which has been likened to a mini Aix-en-Provence for its artistic links, is the area' s focal point. The Wednesday market stalls are piled high with local pro- duceÐ including some of the most expensive olive oil in the world on account of the limited harvest produced each yearÐ and
FOR SALE €890k
Maussane This house, located in the village of Maussane, is
now ` priced to sell' following a reduc- tion from €1.06 million. It has three bedrooms, a guest studio and a large Provençal-style kitchen Agence des Alpilles (00 33 6 43 65 25 75;
www.agence-alpilles.com)
the cobbled streetscape of pastel-painted boutiques and pâtisseries are classic exam- ples of understated French chic. It' s a far cry from the glitz and showiness of the Côte d' AzurÐ it' s not de rigueur here to swing the latest Hermès Kelly bagÐ but, neverthe- less, the area has its fair share of well-known residents, who keep low profiles, including Princess Caroline of Monaco (whose Grim- aldi family once owned the town) and actors
` Unlike the Luberon± uniformly green, rolling and unchallenging± here, we have Provence with attitude'
FOR SALE €5.3m
St Rémy This eight-bedroom house is within easy distance
of St Rémy and has its own olive grove. A beautiful summer dining room opens out onto the pool terrace and it also has a large guest house in a troglodyte cave Knight Frank (020± 7629 8171; www.
knightfrank.co.uk)
64 Country Life International, Spring 2011
www.countrylife.co.uk/international
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