CAMPAGNE French
Peter Mayle most famously spent a year in Provence. Lucky him. With only a week I would still focus on his particular patch, the voluptuous Luberon Valley, a ‘Parc Naturel’ hedged by two 30-mile long limestone ridges. Mayle lived near the medieval hilltop village of Menerbes with views you will want to take home. But this region, the Vaucluse, has a number of dramatic hill towns, such as Gordes, which was colonised by artists, including Chagall and Vasarely, followed by wealthy Parisians. Also nearby is the 12th-century Cistercian abbey of Sénanque, and L’isle sur la Sorgue, which has an enormous Sunday market, part produce, part crafts but most famously antiques. STAY THERE: La Bastide de Marie (labastidedemarie.com) is the place to stay. Book direct; doubles from €390 per night, half board.