I suggest a day in the Vaucluse, in the south of the Luberon. The Itinerary starts in Lourmarin, passes through Cucuron and Ansouis and ends in the most famous glacier in the Luberon. Don't forget to book your table in advance here.
Unlike most villages in the region, Lourmarin is not perched, it is nestled at the bottom of a valley, a necessary passageway between Grand and Petit Luberon. In the 17th century, Lourmarin was known for its silk production. After the First World War, an industrialist from Lyon, Robert Laurent-Vibert discovered the Château de Lourmarin (pictured below) and bought it to make it a "little Villa Médicis de Provence".
After the sudden death of Robert Laurent-Vibert in 1925 in a car accident, the town hall of Aix took over the management of the castle, developed its libraries and organized cultural events. Every summer, around fifteen young residents (painters, sculptors, musicians, researchers, writers, etc.) stay at the castle where they devote themselves to their arts, without material worries.
Feel free to stroll through the shady alleys of the village. The writer Albert Camus had chosen to live in Lourmarin and described "a homeland" of "overwhelming beauty".
Then take the road to Cucuron, one of the prettiest villages in Provence built on two hillocks. The inhabitants of Cucuron are used to meeting around the large basin of the pond, one of the most pleasant places in the village. Surrounded by two-hundred-year-old plane trees, this basin was originally a reserve of water from various sources in the Luberon which allowed the flour mills to work. After removal of these, restaurants and bars settled around.
I then suggest you head to Ansouis, known for its thousand-year-old castle and its fortified church. Facing the Luberon, perched on its rock, in the center of the Pays d'Aygues, with the Grand Luberon and the Durance on the horizon, the village of Ansouis, pictured below, is one of the most beautiful villages in France.
I love walking in the alleys of Ansouis. In the spring the village is in bloom, and the panoramas at the top are superb.
For a gourmet end to the day, I advise you to go to l'Art Glacier, the most famous glacier in the region for its 180 degree panorama over the landscapes of the Luberon. Don't forget to reserve your ice cream cups and your table so as not to queue. The creations are incredible, personally I tasted the Pastorale (balls of lavender, thyme, Luberon honey, whipped cream, caramel sauce, almond tuile), the Mandarin (balls of lychee, raspberry, kalamansi, mango, whipped cream, fruit, almond tuile) and the vacheriin (3 flavors of your choice mounted in a vacherin on a meringue, whipped cream, fruit, fruit coulis or topping of your choice).
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