Ansouis is called a "perched village." In Italy, it would be called a hill town. I suspect the choice of location was partly defensive and partly because it freed up the surrounding flat lands for agriculture.
The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
The Village of Ansouis
Ansouis is a very pretty old village, perched on a low hill with a nicely restored chateau. The village is located 25 km north of Aix-en-Provence, 8 km southeast of Lourmarin (north of the Durance river and south of the Luberon mountains). The village is well-restored, with neat stone walls, and has a fair number of ancient little streets.
It has a small Sunday street market at the edge of town and some modest commercial activity (bar, boulangerie, tabac, mini-market, restaurant and salon de thé. Other than that, there isn't a lot going on ... other than what happens at our house!
If it were even possible to rent a house like this in a larger village, we would enjoy having more options within walking distance, but there is a gentle rhythm to life in a small village like this ... one that I have come to respect and appreciate.
Ansouis is called a "perched village." In Italy, it would be called a hill town. I suspect
the choice of location was partly defensive and partly because it freed up the surrounding
flat lands for agriculture.
For the moment, I will let the camera do the talking as far as giving you a feel for the place ...
Ansouis is a small village, but because of that it strikes me in a much more personal way. I have not had the same feeling of connection in the larger towns.
© 2009 Restaurant Doctor
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