Country Life in association with garden-travel specialists Boxwood Tours, is delighted to announce an exclusive tour from April 24 to 29, 2014, enjoying the gastronomy and gardens of this fortunate region. Hosted by Louisa Jones, the leading expert in the gardens of Provence, our tailor-made tour explores old country estates and bastides of the Alpilles and Luberon at a time of year when the Mediterranean spring is coloured by cascades of banksia roses and bee-foraged tresses of wisteria.
Highlights include the elegant, horticulturally diverse St Rémy gardens of Pierre Bergé, lifelong companion of Yves Saint Laurent; the remarkable clifftop garden of La Carmejane; Les Confines, home of Dominique Lafourcade; the renowned Filippi nursery; a stylish masterpiece of the late Nicole de Vésian; and the glorious estate of Petit Fontanille, part of which was remodelled by Rosemary Verey. Most of these are accessible only with Louisa Jones and many have appeared exclusively in Country Life.
The tour is based in the comfortable 18th-century mansion of La Mirande, in the heart of old Avignon, and costs from £3,890, including flights from Heathrow. Contact Boxwood Tours, Rhiw, Llanbedr, Gwynedd, LL45 2NT (01341 241717; www.boxwoodtours.co.uk).
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