Touring in The Luberon : Bonnieux

Bonnieux is only located about 4 km from Lacoste and you can even see the village from Lacoste.
Its name might come from "Bon Oeil" i.e. good eye for its spectacular view from many spots in the village.

Bonnieux is of course well known for being the "shopping and eating place" of Peter Mayle. Slightly larger (1 500 inhb) than Menerbes Peter Mayle was often going there.

If you like to climb street, that's the village for you !
However watch out the traffic since Bonnieux has one of the only road linking the Norht Luberon to the South Luberon.

The FRIDAY MARKET is a must. It stretches from the square in the village down to the new church by the road at the bottom of the Village. Rather big it's best to go early around 9am before the crowd.

What to see in Bonnieux :

- The Old Church at the top of the Village dating from the 12th C,
- The walls protecting the village from the 12th C,
- The close by "Pont Julien" a roman bridge (down in the Valley),
- The "Jardin de la Louve", one of the most remarkable garden, By booking only (min 10 people) some visits are also arranged by the Tourist Office.
- The "Musée de la Boulangerie"(well it needed a bit of dusting and modernising last time I went).

You might bump into John Malkovitch who owns a property nearby.

Where to eat :
Bonnieux Offers a good selection of restaurant. You will get a nice panorama from one of the bar located in the upper part but those bars are on the main road....

*- Le Fournil in the centre.
 The restaurant is partly carved in the rock.
2 courses set lunch around 21€, 2 course set dinner around 41€
closed on Monday Tuesday
Best to book
Nice terrasse

*- Le Café de la Gare
One of my fav.
A bit tricky to find in the "Quartier de la gare" (old train station neighboroud).
It is like what we call a "routier" i.e a restaurant designed for truck drivers, providing a nice set menu at a reasonnable price.
The new owners (2014) expanded the garden terrassse and are probably working right now on the main dining room but kept the 14€ 3 courses lunch formula (2014).
Only open for Lunch Monday to Saturday only.
Compulsory to book.

Bonnieux from Lacoste

That's how stip the streets are

Market day in Bonnieux on Friday

Love that pottery stand by the church

The Fournil Restaurant Yum Yum

The Jardin de La Louve

Also known as Mrs Pillsbury garden

The Café de la Gare

The Marquis de Sade and Lacoste

Donatien Alphonse François de Sade was born in Paris on June 2^nd 1740.

His most famous ancestor “Laure de Sade” (1308-1348) is known as the life love of the Poet Pétrarque. She is also linked to the Sade branch that will establish in Saint Remy.

He is the first heir of Jean Baptiste Comte de Sade, Lord of Saumane and Lacoste in Provence. Raised in Paris amongst royalties he is sent to his uncle, an abbot, from the age of 4 to 10. He spends his life between the Abbaye of the little village of Ebreuil in Central France (about 10 miles from where I was myself born) and in the Castle of Saumane in Provence, Castle which, according to historian, is “more a brothel than a harem”. The note is set.

Back to Paris in 1750 he integrates the most famous schools and joins the Army for the 7years war from 1756 to 1763.

In May 1763 he marries Renée Pélagie Cordier de Launay de Montreuil who will stick to him most of his life despite... In October of the very same year he is arrested for molesting a pregnant woman and visits the jail of Vincennes. He is out a month later, his wife’s family probably arranged to get him out in order to avoid the outrage.

From then on he will visit many of Paris Jails until he dies on Dec 2^nd 1814. Prison time is the time where he will write most of his novels, not much else to do! (well I have stories on the side for you).

In 1768 he is arrested in Lyon in early April. He is released by mid November with the order to stay in his Castle of Lacoste who was given by his father as a wedding gift.

A new scandal arises in 1772 in Marseille and he runs to Italy with his new mistress, his wife’s sister.

He’s eventually arrested again in 1777 by order of his mother in law and will spend most of rest of life in Jail. He is at the Bastille just before the revolution but is transferred to Charenton on July 4th, 10 days prior Bastille Day.

Ruined he has to sell the Chateau de Lacoste in 1796 in order to live.

Altogether he was in Lacoste :

-          For several months in 1765

-          From 1769 to 1772

-          For the summer 1778

Castle of pleasure, the Marquis invested a lot in Lacoste, building a 120 seats theatre for example.

The Castle of fame in destroyed in 1792 and stones are reused for other houses. André Bouër owner from 1952 till 2001 does his best to restore the ruins. But it’s only in the early 2000 that the Castle is up for its new life when French designer Pierre Cardin becomes the new lord of the place.

The Marquis de Sade has still heirs alive…..

One of the very few portrait of the Marquis

Art by the entrance of the Castle. The Marquis de Sade in Jail.