To see our holiday and long term lets.
'A
short walk in the countryside one weekend was to
become the start of an adventure that has lasted
many years ..... and will I hope continue for many
more! '
La Colle en Provence:
A hidden jewel deep in the traditional French
Provencal countryside.
Who am I? .... well I'm a little hamlet that
sits on the top of a small hill at 633 m
altitude and I'm hidden deep in the French
traditional countryside. I'm about
400+ years old, nobody really knows how old, and I
was first constructed to be a way point for meeting
between two small villages of Sigonce and
Saint-Etienne-les-Orgues in Haut Provence. I still
have the original 'Pigeonnier' that served as the
internet of the old days.
I remember many a Sunday when I
entertained the inhabitants from both Sigonce and
Saint-Etienne-les-Orgues they would come up hill from their valley
positions to celebrate unions, trade in a little
market place or just chat to get the local gossip.
Officially I'm attached to the village of
Montlaux which is in itself part of the Pays de
Forcalquier.
In my hay-day I had more than 100
inhabitants, a School, le Pigeonnier, a Fountain,
and a Post Office. I have principally served as an
agricultural residence for many years and have seen
many different evolutions but again my hay-day was
when the lands around me grew bountiful Almonds on
many trees (now either cut down or overtaken by Oak
and the faster growing pines).
During my life time I have been within a small
kingdom, part of Italy and served as a hide away
for the French resistance. My main demise came near
to the end of the 19th century when the lands around
me suffered from long years of draught and the local
'Source' (natural water point) started to dry up in the principal summer
months. The whole area suffered
in this period which is well depicted by the
Italian-French film
'Manon des sources' by Claude Berri based
on the novels by Marcel Pagnol. In fact many places
became almost waste lands. I have
been restored at least twice in the 20th century by
two loving groups of people and I am even better
than I was before. I
currently serve as a work and peace retreat for my
principal owner and two other habitations (more
below) one who is extremely friendly and beneficial
to me and the other well not much to say. I also am
rented out for wondering globe workers to enjoy for
peaceful retreats back to the country away from it
all or as a base for shooting or creating projects
in this astoundingly photogenic area know very well
by my principal patron. |
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This area has been
chosen by World renowned Artists like
Cezanne, Vuillard, Matisse and even his
mentors, Seurat, Picasso and Bonnard and continues to draw
exceptional talent from all over the world ...... to
extreme their next vision. |
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These pages follow my evolution and
how I was saved from a crumbling death
and you can read as much or as little about me and
the local area which enchants daily, as you wish.
I am however in need of
constant love and attention as I have been built in
the traditional old ways which require continual
tinkering. However if I am kept in my currant state I will
last forever as my walls are 1/2 a meter thick as a
minimum and in some places over a 1 meter.
During my second
restoration, by my currant patron, I have been
completely modernised and therefore I brim with all
that is currently considered as normal in our world.
If you are reading this as a non previous visitor
and you should one day come to see me you would find
that everything is real here. I am not a
representation of a dream but a real working
property with everything that one would expect.
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Some of the best lavender is to
be found on the plateaux opposite and in the area
there is a quite extraordinary choice of organic
produce. A feast for anybodies palette. |
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These pages will also show you the
beauty of the area in which I have been constructed.
Haut Provence or 'High Provence' is an area steeped
in history and has long been an organic agricultural farmland. Here is produced some of the best
lavender, olives, melons, sheep, truffles, and a
whole hoist of other products.
Naturally with such dedicated
farmers tilling the land there also comes great
visual scenes. You will not find kilometres of
industrial farming here but small plots that change
in colour as the seasons continue during the year..
In fact no matter what season
you are in during the year you will always find
something very pleasing to the eye. I suppose the
worst period is when the skies are grey on
certain winter days. However as this place is one of
the areas to have the most annual sun in France
these days are usually rare.
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A
short walk in the countryside one weekend was to
become the start of an adventure that has lasted
many years ..... and will I hope continue for many
more! |
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We
had been invited by some new friends for lunch in
their stone built house in the little village of La
Blache which is a magnificent group of natural stone
houses.
After lunch our
hoists suggested that we strolled off into the
countryside and explore a little the area and that
they knew someone quite near who we could pop in on.
Little did I know
that this would be the start of a long adventure
that would involve a great deal of effort,
commitment and struggle over the ensuing decades.
This little walk in
the countryside would end up in me buying 3/4 of a
ruined hamlet perched on a hill overlooking a superb
valley. But as I was latter to discover, had no
water most of the time, hardly any electricity and a
very rough farm track to get to.
This site is the
story of La Colle en Provence and is dedicated to
the many talented friends that have aided me in it's
reconstruction and the many visitors over the years
that have shared some time and a little beauty of the place.
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The original ideal
behind the the reconstruction of La Colle was to
create a family domain that could be passed down
through the generations as a place to live in close
contact with nature.
This interaction with nature was to serve as a
reminder that we are but a small element in the story of life. Even though we might aspire to become
much more.
It hasn't completely worked out like that but we
have had the association and experience.
Rod Cook
Nov 2023
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