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At the
very top of Bonnieux are towering cedars that take the last of
the sunlight.
Bonnieux
has many intriguing paths to explore.
Steps up
to Bonnieux's old church.
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Bonnieux
is one of the most impressive Luberon villages, probably
the largest, with plenty of restaurants and cafes to choose
from, artisan shops, lodging options, and even a bank!
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The
view from Bonnieux is wonderful, out across the valley floor
with its patchwork of orchards and vineyards, towards the
equally picturesque perched village of Lacoste across the
Vaucluse plateau.
At
the top of the village, as ever, is a church, the 12th century,
Roman/Gothic 'Vieille Eglise' (old church), and near the
bottom is the much newer (1870) New Church ('Eglise Neuve')
- no great beauty but home to some intensely painted scenes
of the Passion of Christ.
In
the 19th century the villagers started coming down from
the top of Bonnieux, as plagues and persecutions had dried
up. It took 10 years to even reach agreement on building
the new church, a debate possibly swung by a doctor's note
stating: "the old church is so insalubrious that it
causes 80 cases of cold, catarrh, stomach ailments and rheumatism
per year".
So
the old church, surrounded by cedars, is now out of use.
But it is well worth climbing up through Bonnieux to the
top for the views of the Monts de Vaucluse, Mont Ventoux,
and also Lacoste, Gordes and Roussillon. The altitude here
is 425 metres (1,394 ft). In July the church is an atmospheric
setting for classical music concerts.
There
are some fine houses in Bonnieux dating back to the 16th
century, and the village's relative opulence dates back
to this period when several bishops chose to live in Bonnieux
when this area belonged to the Popes.
Bonnieux
was a fortified village as early as 972 AD. It started off
lower down the hill, but inched its way up the slope as
events got hairier in the 13th century, and barricaded itself
against invaders and attackers with ramparts, which sometimes
kept them out and sometimes did not.
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Bonnieux
has a history of relative opulence dating back to the 16th
century when the Popes of Avignon ruled the land.
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Market
day is Friday mornings. A pretty market at the bottom of the
village with local crafts and produce.
Bonnieux,
uniquely, has a bread museum, the Musée de la Boulangerie,
in a village house, in the rue de la République. This will
tell you all about how bread is made in the artisanal manner,
should that be of interest to you. (Tel: 04 90 75 88 34, open
from 10-12, 3-6.30pm in summer, check at other times).
Bonnieux
Restaurants
Le
Fournil
Le Tinel
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Foret
des Cedres - Cedar Forest
Beyond
Bonnieux, on the way to Lourmarin as you head into the Luberon
mountain, is the Foret des Cedres (cedar forest).
Cedar
trees are not indigenous to France and this forest was man-made.
In 1861 some chap brought back the seeds from the Atlas
mountain in Morocco and planted them on the top of the Luberon.
Today those seeds are responsible for a small forest across
the top of the Luberon mountain, mixed with pine and green
oak.
You
can park up at the start of the cedars and take a walk through
them and up to the path that runs along the spine of the
mountain. If you are well armed with supplies and time you
could walk all the way to Cavaillon at the other end of
the Luberon mountain.
There
are also many places where you can arrow down towards the
north side - the Petit Luberon, for instance down to Menerbes
or Oppede. Or you can do circular walks back to the car-park
which would take between 30 minutes and 2 hours.
As
you drive back down towards Bonnieux you pass a 'buvette'
(snack bar) which is very nicely set, with high views over
Bonnieux, and a very pleasant couple running it. They do
omelettes, salads and tarts, nothing else, and what they
do, they do well.
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Musee de
la Boulangerie - the bakery museum
Looking
back over Bonnieux's shoulder towards Lacoste,
Bonnieux
bell tower at dusk.
Looking
west over the valley from inside one of Bonnieux's narrow arteries.
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