Menerbes

Welcome to May-nerb, a village that perches gracefully on a long, narrow hilltop in the heart of the Luberon region of Provence. Often described as a 'stone ship' sailing across a sea of vineyards and lavender, May-nerb is a…

We begin our tour at the ancient ramparts, the silent witnesses to May-nerb's most dramatic hour. In fifteen seventy-three, during the height of the French Wars of Religion, the village was seized by a band of Huguenot…

In the center of the village, housed in a magnificent seventeenth-century mansion, is the Maison de la Truffe et du Vin—the House of Truffles and Wine. For a scholar of Provençal culture, this is an essential stop. …

As you wander toward the higher part of the village, you will pass the former home of Dora Maar, the celebrated photographer and surrealist artist who was also the muse and lover of Pablo Picasso. In nineteen forty-four, Picasso…

It is impossible to discuss May-nerb without mentioning the British author Peter Mayle. In the late nineteen eighties, Mayle moved to a farmhouse on the outskirts of the village and wrote 'A Year in Provence,' a memoir that…

Near the center of the village stands one of May-nerb's most unique architectural features: the 'Twisted' Clock Tower. The bell tower itself dates back to the thirteenth century and is one of fewer than a hundred such 'twisted'…

At the highest point of the village sits the Citadel, or the Château de May-nerb. This historic castle, while privately owned and generally not open to the public, is the architectural anchor of the village. …

As we conclude our journey through May-nerb, I hope you carry with you a sense of the resilience and beauty that define this village. From its origins as a Roman outpost to its fame as a literary and artistic sanctuary, May-nerb…