Hotel Le Pré Saint-Michel
Hotel
MoreEscape on the Jean Giono Route
This getaway along the Jean Giono Route offers a four-day journey through Haute-Provence, exploring literature, inhabited landscapes, and vibrant silence. An immersion between Manosque and the Lure Mountains, following in the footsteps of a giant of French literature.
Jean Giono did not write about Provence. He wrote la Provence. A land of dry scents, immense skies, silent men, and arid lands. This stay invites you to explore the landscapes that inspired him, from Manosque to the Montagne de Lure, from Ventoux to the Jabron Valley, like an initiatory journey, in search of simple beauty and slowness. An invitation to read the landscape as one reads a novel, at the pace of a writer who did not want to flee the world, but to embrace it differently.
The stay in summary
- Duration : 4 days / 3 nights
- Ideal period : from May to September
- Theme : Literary itinerancy – Jean Giono – Nature & inspiration – Sensitive immersion
- Public : Contemplative readers – Lovers of inland Provence, its landscapes and the word – Seekers of meaning
- Accommodation : take advantage of our selection of authentic and comfortable accommodations
- Moves : by car, motorbike or bicycle
- Key destinations : Manosque, Banon, Sisteron, villages & towns of character
- Personalized suggestion : add a day to extend the experience with a hike in the Lure mountain, this “roof of the world” which so fueled Giono’s imagination.
Practical information
Programme
Day 1: Manosque, land of writing
Welcome to Manosque, birthplace of Jean Giono, its anchor, its matrix. A city "ochre and blue" as he wrote. The day begins with lunch at the Bistrot du Chef, local and sincere cuisine, to already soak up the flavors of the country.
The afternoon is devoted to visiting the Jean Giono Center, housed in a beautiful 18th-century Provençal building surrounded by gardensWe begin our journey by discovering the permanent exhibition "Jean Giono, the paths of the work." This reveals, through letters, films, photographs and intimate objects, the links between the author's life and his literary work. An inspiring place where we enter into the creative intimacy of the man who made Provence a land of universal poetry.
« I have everything within me: landscapes, characters, stories. No need to go elsewhere. " wrote Giono.
The visit continues with a literary stroll through the alleys of Manosque, punctuated with extracts from textsWe follow in the footsteps of Jean le Bleu and Angelo (The Hussard on the Toit), in this Provence of “Manosque of the plateaus”.
« I write while walking " confided Giono. This walk pays homage to this writing in movement, nourished by sensations, wind and stone.
In the evening, dinner at The Table of Pré Saint-Michel where the cuisine with Provençal accents reveals all its flavors.
Evening in charming accommodation
Night atLe Pré Saint-Michel hotel, nestled in a green setting, ideal for a first night in Gion.
Day 2: From starry skies to lavender lands
The road winds its way through the landscapes dear to Giono towards the village of Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire, perched facing the skyThis place, both scientific and contemplative, offers an exceptional view of the landscapes of Haute Provence and far beyond.
"Irresistible" Experience : At the Planetarium, we explore the constellations, between science and poetry.
Giono, passionate about the stars, wrote: When I look at a star, I hear the earth ».
Then direction Banon, a village reflecting the Provençal soulWe visit there Le Bleuet bookstore, a true temple of books in Haute-Provence. It is a unique and unusual place where you can spend hours strolling among the shelves.
We have lunch at Panturle's Table, a gourmet nod to Renewal, this novel where an abandoned village is reborn thanks to love and work of the land.
« Panturle didn't speak. He watched »
The afternoon unfolds through deeply Gionian landscapes: the ghost village of Vieux Redortiers (the Aubignane of "Regain"), Revest-du-Bion, Silance, lands of solitude and wind, where one feels the harshness of the country and the depth of the silences.
« It is there, in these villages perched on the void, that Giono placed his characters, in search of dignity and light. These harsh and luminous territories form the setting for novels such as The Song of the World or May My Joy Remain ».
Stop at Gabelle Castle, agricultural estate surrounded by lavender, then to Aurel, Montbrun-les-Bains and finally to the Aulan Castle, a romantic fortress lost in the hills.
After Sederon, on the ridge line between the Alps and Provence, the The day ends in the village of Les Omergues, an emblematic site of the Hussar on the roof ».
Dinner and overnight stay at theHotel-Restaurant L'Étape, a rustic and warm stop in the heart of silence.
Day 3: Inner Citadels and Strong Souls
Departure to Jabron valley, by Saint-Vincent-sur-Jabron, a land of pastoralism and privacy, before joining Sisteron, whose monumental citadel overlooks the Durance.
Giono was captivated by Sisteron, the pearl of Provence. In Le Chant du monde, the imaginary city of Villevieille reflects the streets and landscapes of Sisteron, between the Lure mountain range and eternal landscapes.
"Irresistible" Experience : We visit the Citadel of Sisteron, perched on its rocky spur. A true symbol of the region's fortified history, it offers a breathtaking panorama, embracing the Alps and Provence.
Lunch facing the citadel, at L'Oppidum restaurant where you can taste Sisteron lamb, one of the most renowned culinary specialties of Provence.
The afternoon continues its journey towards the Saint-Donat chapel, a pure marvel of art and a suspended place dear to Gionothen Mallefougasse, medieval village.
Here, in The Serpent of Stars, Giono tells the story of the "drama of the shepherds", a great festival of a somewhat esoteric nature, organized at the time of the transhumance.
We finally win Cruis, nestled at the foot of the Lure mountain, a Gionian mecca par excellence. You can feel Provence in its most peaceful version.
“Lure is the Provence of the soul,” said Giono. “That of simple, essential things, where light is enough to make a novel.”
Dinner and overnight stay at theAbbey Hotel, a gentle stone building and an inspired refuge.
Day 4: Final steps in the life-work
The last day takes the small backcountry roads, through Saint-Étienne-les-Orgues, gateway to the Lure mountain, then Ongles, for lunch at La Tonnelle, a country address in the shade of the plane trees.
We then go down towards Saumane, childhood home of some Gionian characters. Up to Banon, the road allows you to discover a whole universe of old farms characteristic of Haute-Provence, whose simple and functional architecture, in harmony with the land, Giono appreciated.
Upon arrival in Manosque, we find the hill of Mont d'Or, " this beautiful round breast " as Giono liked to describe this hill with its evocative curve. This is where the poet has Angelo wander in The Horseman on the Roof among the camps of a Manosque population fleeing the cholera epidemic.
The circle is complete, the words remain in the mind, the images too.
"The landscape is not a setting," said Giono. "It's a character."
A final pause before gently closing the book of this journey and leaving with a little of this light that Giono called " the simple joy of being in the world ».
Ready to experience a deep and poetic immersion in the Alpes de Haute Provence, in the footsteps of Giono?
Practical information for your stay
This stay is attached to the Jean Giono Route, a 152-kilometer route on small departmental roads, fully immersed in the landscapes of the Haut-Pays Provençal so dear to Giono. It is enhanced by visits, accommodation suggestions and gourmet stops.
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