Trompe d'Oeil - The Art Of Illusion

I was recently browsing around looking for a large picture that would work for an indoor/outdoor space, and found this fun tapestry that is a little more than six feet wide by four and a half feet tall, which fits the space beautifully.  Now, every time we look at that tapestry, instead of seeing a white wall, we'll be instantly transported to a lovely terrace in Provence overlooking the vineyards.

A view across the vineyards through the stone arches

It reminded me of the very large painting that hung in the dining room at Les Abeilles - a striking and colorful view across a field of Sunflowers....

Sunflowers under a dramatic Provencal sky in the dining room at Restaurant Les Abeilles

It was so pleasant to look from at across the room - bright yellow sunflowers under a dramatic Provencal summer sky. Looking at that sky, you could almost feel a the intense humidity that builds up just before short but intense Provencal thunderstorms.  It hung on the wall opposite the large windows which looked out onto the courtyard, and really gave the feel of an indoor/outdoor space with sunflowers on one side and enormous plane trees shading the courtyard outside.

But ... art illusions are not restricted to indoor/outdoor spaces.  If you are travelling in Provence, keep your eyes open for the large murals in large and small towns and villages, often dressing up an otherwise rather plain space. Trompe l'oeil  - the art of tricking the eye by the use of perspective and lighting, has been used in Europe since the early Renaissance. Here are some more contemporary Provencal expressions.

In the village of Entreaigues ...

... the blunt end of a row of narrow village  houses, shows the occupants on a pretty upstairs balcony while downstairs a child plays near a water fountain sheltered under a stone arch.

A corner in the middle of Entraigues

On a walk through the pretty village of Venasque...

Venasque, Provence - a dog relaxes in the courtyard

... we walked past a narrow opening between stone buildings, and noticed a picturesque gravel courtyard - windows with colorful shutters where the family dog lay relaxing.  

Looking again, we realized that our eyes were playing tricks on us, but it was a very pleasant trick.

In the town of Loriol-sur -Drome ... one corner of an intersection takes our eyes to a neighborhood shopping area, surrounded by olive trees .. an stone arched door leads to ... perhaps another garden .. who knows ...

But in reality .. we are en route to the A7!

A busy intersection in Loriol-sur-Drome, Provence

Got a large blank wall? 

 Give it some decorative windows!

Or perhaps a fountain, like the one that adorns this exterior wall in Buis les Barronies...

Nowhere to plant a large olive tree? No problems, again in Buis les Barronies 

Buis les Barronies is in the heart of Olive growing country

Our "window view" towards Seguret in the kitchen at Maison des Pelerins

... And when we couldn't have a window above the stove top in the kitchen at Maison des Pelerins ...

... a very talented ceramic artist gave us one that looks at Seguret ... just like a real window in that wall would!

A Walk through a Nearby Village - Venasque

The first time I heard of Venasque was a number of years ago, when Francoise and Jean Pierre - the then owners of Mas Pichony in Pernes les Fontaines, a Chambres D'Hotes (Bed and Breakfast) we had stayed in on many of our visits to Provence, emailed us and told us they were selling the Chambres d'Hotes and would be moving to nearby Venasque - "un tres, tres beau village".  Since that time, of course we have purchased Masion des Pelerins and la Baume des Pelerins in Sablet  and visited many towns and villages in the area.  I'm always taken with the special character of each town or village and Venasque is no different.  It is a quintessentially French village where villagers shop for their daily needs in the few small village shops and everything stops for two hours at lunchtime and the village streets are deserted.

One quiet Saturday morning we took a stroll through Venasque and discovered that it is really as lovely as we had heard it was.

This Picturesque village is filled with pretty cream rock houses and narrow village streets which cling to the rocky hill it stands on.

The ruins of the Medieval wall commonly called "Barrys".  This part of the wall and three Saracen Towers are all that remains of Medieval Venasque

The remnants of the old Medieval Wall show how well reinforced this fortress was - three walls with stone reinforcing in between!

The narrow streets and tall buildings are typical of many Provencal villages, but in this village, the residents take care to make sure it is always neat, tidy and pricturesque

Colorful Virginia Creeper climbs up the walls of a village house adding charm and color to the scene

As we walked through the village, all the petite streets had their own version of Provencal charm and most of the pictures that follow do not need any explanation.  I hope you will enjoy a petit tour of a very picturesque village.

The Eighteenth Century fountain stands in the middle of the village with shops, restaurants and cafes surrounding it in the square.

This cross stands in the church square, in front of the Church of Notre Dame

The Church of Notre Dame with its tall campanile occupies a prominent place in the Village.  The campanile can be seen towering over the landscape as you look up at the village on it's rocky outcrop.

The impressive entry to the Church of Notre Dame 

The magnificent Eleventh Century Baptistery in the Church of Notre Dame was restored in the 19th Century.

The Boy's School and the Girl's School of times gone by.

Venasque -  perched village on a rocky peak at the foot of Mt. Ventoux overlooks fertile plains planted with vineyards and cherry orchards.

During our walking tour of Venasque, we acquired a new friend who accompanied us through the village and all the way to our car, wagging his tail and smiling whenever we spoke to him.

Bye  Venasque .... a beautiful little village and a great way to spend a morning visiting one of 

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, (The Most Beautiful Villages in France),  which we are fortunate to have so close to our home in Sablet