Ansouis?
 

Any comments on this town as a base of operation for touring Provence...we have found a gorgeous home but are uncertain of location.,

We have stopped for lunch several times in Ansouis when we are on our way to Lourmarin(about 6 and half miles). It's a delighful 10th century village with those narrow, twisting, winding street. You raelly need a very compact car. There is a chateau at the top of the hill that has been owned by the same family since 1160. I love this Luberon area. We didn't go into the chateau because we were there the wrong hours.

We usually stay in Saignon not too far from Ansouis which is a charming small village, definitely not a town. Very narrow streets with a couple of cafes, typical Provencal homes with lovely gardens but maybe a bit isolated as a base.

Patricia, I love Saignon. We stayed there at the "house with the view"where alot of artists stay. Lunch by the fountain, across from the lavoir at the Auberge de Presbytere is nice. We also stayed several nights at a goat farm in Silvergues. That was really special.

Provence covers a large area, so it depends on what you plan to do and see. Most people posting on travel boards seem to be interested in the Bouche-du-Rhône region of Provence (Arles, Pont du Gard, Les Baux, St-Rémy, etc.), and if those are your interests, Ansouis is not an ideal base.
If, however, you want to explore the Lubéron, it would be a good location.

Rosebud, It's a good base if you don't mind driving one to two hours to St Remy, Avignon, the countryside is so lovely, we don't find it too long.Stationed in Ansouis, you can visit Apt with one of the best markets, Lourmarin, Cucuron, Saignon, and so many more that are the true Provence. Depending When you are there,( you didn't say when), you will be close to the lavender routes when it's in bloom (harvested late august)

Hi, Rosebud. In August of 2002 I spent a week in La Tour d'Aigues which is about 8 km. from Ansouis. I was there primarily to look for a house to rent the following summer so I drove all over the Luberon mountain.

What the others have told you is correct. It is a beautiful area but it can take quite a while to get to the major towns of Provence and to get to the other side of the mountain (Gordes, Rousillon, Saignon, etc.)

Here is an excerpt from my trip report after the August, 2002 trip.
"Everything seems to take twice the time you think it will. Midday shop and office closings (often 12 ? 3 pm), twisty mountain roads and crossing the mountain from north to south, or vice versa: all gobbled up time. There are two decent roads that cross the Lubéron Mountain: toward the west, from Lourmarin to Apt and further east, from La Bastide des Jourdans toward Reillane. Either route takes at least 30 minutes and getting from La Tour d?Aigues to those crossing points took at least another 20. So it took the better part of an hour to get from where I was staying on the south side of the mountain to the towns and villages (Apt, Saignon, Bonnieux, Céreste) on the north side; and another hour or so to get back."

I wouldn't want to discourage you from staying in Ansouis. Although I visited and drove through a number of the Luberon villages, I don't think I ever got to Ansouis. But if it is anything like the others I visited I'm sure you will enjoy staying there. Just be aware that travel time to other towns and villages may be more than it would appear on a map.

BTW, we did rent a house the following summer near Saignon and thoroughly enjoyed it. Let me know if I can help further. Bon voyage!

To rosebud...

I'm e mailing you Luberon info.