Walter Wells has spent all the time he could in Vaison-la-Romaine since 1980. After a career in journalism, notably as Managing Editor and Executive Editor of the International Herald Tribune, he now works with his wife, Patricia Wells, leading cooking classes at their home in Provence.

“There’s a giant live oak on the edge of our terrace in Vaison that is so imperturbable that it seems to anchor the blue crystalline sky to our rocky hilltop. A spirituality imbues that corner of the Vaucluse and the tree symbolizes it. Steady, stately and eternal, the oak stands seemingly invulnerable.”

“In stressful times and places, the tree is what I summon to my mind’s eye when the two real ones blink. Like the bedrock that the tree is rooted in, the Vaucluse holds my own anchor. Our life’s pace is slower under that vivid blue sky. History’s abundant reminders, whether Roman ruins or perched medieval villages that let you fantasize they’re unchanged by time. Home is where the heart is? Sure. And home is there.”

The British author Peter Mayle has written 13 books but A Year in Provence (1989) made him a household name. (Translated into 38 languages, it has sold more than five million copies.) Peter’s novel A Good Year (2005) became a major motion picture which was filmed almost entirely in the Luberon region of the Vaucluse, where he now lives full time. These days, Peter says, his principal hobby is lunch and he hopes, when death comes, that it arrives precisely between the last mouthful of a fine meal and the arrival of the bill. Mayle was honoured as a Chevalier in the French Legion d’Honneur in 2002.

“I first settled in the Vaucluse 21 years ago and there have been a few changes, obviously. But for me, what’s interesting and infinitely comforting is what hasn’t changed.”

“For instance, village markets still sell food that has escaped the modern passion for shrink-wrapping and mass sterilization. Vast stretches of the countryside still remain wild and empty, unscarred by theme parks, golf courses and condominium colonies.Silence, that endangered blessing, is still to be found by those who want it. The sky is still a dense and unpolluted blue. And unlike so many other beautiful parts of the world that progress and ease of access have made crowded, bland and predictable, the Vaucluse has somehow managed to retain its individual flavour and quirkiness.”

“The accent is as think and soupy as ever, the bizarre notion of punctuality is frequently ignored, and a minimum of two hours is still required for a proper Sunday lunch. Wonderful. Long may it last.”

to be seen ! Fête de la Transhumance (whit monday)

You are looking for the perfect venue for your wedding in France ?

Do you know how much difficult the wedding venue research can be ? The wedding planning starts with the choice of the property.

Bookings for weddings have already started.

Eden Luxury Homes will suggest some secret romantic, unusual, modern but all stunning places for your French Provencal wedding.

You would need a wedding planner as well for the organisation ?

Please do contact me as soon as possible.

isabelle@edenluxuryhomes.com

phone : +33 6 69 64 00 03