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Cucuron
is a delightful village in the south Luberon, pretty enough
to have been used as the set for the 1995 movie 'The Horseman
on the Roof' (Le hussard sur le toit).
Cucuron
is best known for its beautiful pool of water in the main
square, so big it is like a small lake, and home to many
contented-looking fish who can't believe their luck that
they are not stuck in a small fountain with coins raining
down on their heads. (You can't swim in the pool, by the
way).
The
pool and square are shaded by towering, 200-year-old plane
trees, which pleases the diners in the restaurant and bar
alongside the water. Whether it is psychological or physical,
the water seems to cool down the hottest days. On Tuesday
mornings there is a market in this square.
At
one corner of the square is a large, grand house with a
formal garden, behind imposing locked gates and a high wall.
As we were wondering what this was, three children appeared
behind the gate, as if from The Secret Garden. "Is
this is a hotel or a house?" I asked. "Actually
it's a chateau, normalement", said a girl.
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Medieval
Cucuron is full of intriguing remains, like the dungeon
of St Michel (above left) and the arches in the village
walls.
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Cucuron
is a member of the Most Beautiful Villages of France association,
and is constructed in the usual style of the Middle Ages,
with streets and houses winding their way up to a castle
at the highest point (only the castle's dungeon remains).
You
can walk around the medieval part of the village inside
the old rampart walls in half an hour, taking in the best
view over the rooftops from the donjon (dungeon) St Michel,
exploring the pretty winding streets and fountains to the
church at the other end of the village.
In
the summer, Cucuron church will have a whittled-down poplar
tree leaning on it. Why? Because of a centuries-old tradition
that the people of the village must go out and find a poplar
tree at least as tall as the church (24m/80ft) and carry
it back by hand with a boy riding it and waving a flag,
in thanks to the village's patron saint for saving Cucuron
from the plague in 1720. See, there had to be a logical
reason. This story is written in greater detail on the tree
itself, but only in French.
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Cucuron
church is well worth a visit.
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If
you get to the church, go inside because it is beautiful
and features a wood mural from the 16th century and the
original Romanesque nave, as well as a magnificent restored
organ from 1616. Close to the church is the Marc Deydier
museum, with photographs of Cucuron life taken between 1890
and 1920.
From
the high points of the village you can see Cezanne's beloved
Mont St Victoire, the Alpilles, and of course the south
flank of the Luberon mountain close by. You will also see
the fertile farmland all around - this is good country for
Luberon wine, cherries and olives.
There
are three or four restaurants in Cucuron, but note that
the well-known La Petite Maison, as recommended by Peter
Mayle, no longer exists.
In
the summer there are concerts at Cucuron, often in the church,
Notre Dame de Beaulieu. See the village's own site for details:
http://www.cucuron-luberon.com/
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