Take me there.

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Beautiful and intriguing places around the world
{a sampling from 0ur ever-growing collection} 

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by Alex

"Charmed, I'm sure."

French Country Hideaways

Vacationing at Private Châteaus and Manors in Rural France

by Casey O'Brien Blondes, Images by Stephanie Cardon

I'm thinking- Yes.  Lovely vacation spot to be sure, but can something be too idyllic?   I mean, can you imagine spending a few days here knowing that eventually you will have to leave?(!) 

  

Travel Information:

French Chateaus and Hideaways 

Château de La Bourgonie and Château de La Poujade (Commarque family properties featured in this post.)

Walnut Wine and Truffle

Dordogne Region (via slowtravel)

And if you can't travel there right away...

Movies set in the Dordogne region:

Chocolat

Ever After

The Corridors of Time: The Visitors II

All images this post via French Country Hideaways, 

Photographer: Stephanie Cardon

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*by Casey O'Brien Blondes

Photographs:  Stephanie Cardon

(us) ~ (uk) ~(de) ~ (fr) ~ (ca)

French Country Hideaways: Vacationing At Private Chateaus and Manors In Rural France (it)

French Country Hideaways: Vacationing at Private Chateaux and Manors in Rural France (es)

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French Country Hideaways

I just purchased the Rizzoli book FRENCH COUNTRY HIDEAWAYS-Vacationing at Private Chateaus and Manors in Rural France and have enjoyed perusing its pages the last few nights before I have fallen asleep.  From Brittany to Provence, it is an enchanting tour of 30 historic châteaus and manors who have opened their doors to guests. 

The troglodyte (cave) dwellings located on the property of Château des Ormeaux piqued my interest even more than the château itself, so I was delighted to learn that it is possible to stay in a cozy troglodyte room with views looking out onto their romantic gardens: 

"These remarkable habitations are characteristic of the region and have served as shelter since humans first took up residence on the shores of the Loire.  Initially quarried for the characteristic white stone used to construct châteaus and manors throughout the region, the caves subsequently were used for wine production and storage.  Limestone is an excellent natural insulate that maintains a constant temperature, keeping caves agreeably cool in summer and warm in winter.  The soft texture of the rock and its luminous pale color create a surprisingly agreeable ambiance...Facing south, the interior catches and reflects light throughout the day..."  *

Perfect tinder to set my imagination alight as I drift off....

Les Ormeaux,  –I'm on my way!

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*by Casey O'Brien Blondes

Photographs:  Stephanie Cardon

(us) ~ (uk) ~(de) ~ (fr) ~ (ca)

French Country Hideaways: Vacationing At Private Chateaus & Manors In Rural France (it)

French Country Hideaways: Vacationing at Private Chateaux and Manors in Rural France (es)

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Appennino by Giambologna

Giambologna's largest work, the mountain god, Appennino (1577)

Hidden Tuscany

by Massimo Listri and Cesare M. Cunaccia

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Between 1568 and 1586 Bernardo Buontalenti built a great palace at Pratolino (Garden of Villa Demidoff at Pratolino Park) for Francesco I and Bianca Cappello. It was completed under Ferdinando I, and the residential building that resulted was sumptuous and rich in architectural inventions, in the late Mannerist style.  

In the garden Bountalenti displayed a phantasmagoric corpus of scenic inventions and play of water.  There was an abundance of water in the area and it fed the park of Pratolino via an aqueduct that was five kilometers long.

Buontalenti's imagination was directed at both the amusement and the amazement of the spectator.  While the apparently bizarre play of water no longer exists, some treasures that reflect the grandiose nature of the project remain:  the gigantic statue of Appennino by Giambologna, for instance, that hides a secret room in its head.  

In his Voyage en Italie, Michel de Montaigne described the construction of this new divinity of the Mannerist pantheon:  "they are building the body of a giant whose eyeball is three cubits large."  —excerpt and image: Hidden Tuscany, Unusual Destinations and Secret Places 

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More about Giambologna (here)

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More travel book recommendations and gift ideas here:  the emporium

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Hotel Feature - La Bastide de Marie, Ménerbes

La Bastide de Marie

featured in

The Hotel Book, Great Escapes Europe

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

 

linen & lavender

images via The Hotel Book (Great Escapes Europe) 
and La Bastide de Marie website

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