Private Hideaway In Menerbes... A Beautiful Hilltop Village In Provence

About Jackie Ghiara

Jackie and I (Hugo) met and married while living in New York City in 1990. I'm from Cordoba, Argentina and she's from Waterford, Ireland. We moved to Europe in 1998 and we currently live on a small farm in the South East of Ireland.

Jackie Ghiara purchased this Apartment in 2013

Why Jackie Ghiara chose Ménerbes

We purchased in this area because of its location, history and charm. Where I grew up we had a similar climate and I just love spending time in Provence as it feels very familiar to me... but it's a lot easier to travel here a few times a year rather than trekking all the way to Argentina. Jackie loves it here too, again because of the weather. Living in Ireland we get more than our fair share of rain. So, we look forward to spending time in Provence where we know that the sun will shine most days. What attracted us to Menerbes was curiosity about Dora Maar, Picassos's companion and muse. He bought a house in Menerbes in 1944 and ended up gifting it to Dora when they separated. She was an artist and photographer and spent the latter part of her life living in Menerbes. Her house is currently an artist and writers retreat. What we discovered when we visited was that Dora wasn't the only artist who called Menerbes home. The village was also home to artists; Nicolas de Stael, Joe Downing and Jane Eakin, none of whom are still alive... but that fact gives you an idea of how tranquil and beautiful a place Menerbes is. Another reason for choosing this area is its location. It's very close to Marseille airport (Marignane 50 minutes) and also close to Nice, just a 2 hour drive away. And, locally the village is well located to visit and enjoy the many hilltop villages such as Oppede Le Vieux, Gordes, Goult, Joucaste, LaCoste, Roussillon. Menerbes is just a short 20-minute drive to Apt where you can enjoy the weekly Saturday market. And for more general shopping and larger stores we're just 40 minutes from the beautiful city of Avignon.

What makes this Apartment unique

The property really captivated us because we both love old buildings and we also value our privacy and this property comes with a lot of history and is also very private. The apartment is made up of two interconnected caves which we think were originally used for housing animals and later used as the village laundry. The previous owner renovated the caves from a ruined state and turned them into a very comfortable retreat from the world. In addition what made us fall for this property was the fact that it had a private terrace and great views out onto the Luberon. In Menerbes, it's very difficult to find a property in the village that also has outdoor space and a view, but we managed to get everything we were looking for all wrapped up in... Les Hirondelles. When you think of caves you probably think dark and dank. But in Les Hirondelles, this is not the case as there are two large arched openings facing south and so the apartment enjoys full sunlight all day. Finally, the fact that the apartment is located in the village was another reason that swayed our decision. It's very conveniently located for the grocery store, the post office, the bakery etc. And, while it's very conveniently situated to everything the fact that the building is built on a hill allows us to have access to all of the village amenities but still have a very private and secluded retreat from the world.