Beloved by Picasso and Nicolas de Staël, who once lived here, tenderly described by best seller author Peter Mayle in A Year in Provence, and elected as his destination of choice by Hollywood director Ridley Scott, who owns a house in its vineyards, Ménerbes is an ever enchanting place, which amply deserves its official description as “one of the most beautiful villages in France”.

In equal measures generous and prosperous, surprisingly calm and languid despite its world reputation, Ménerbes stands as a symbol for the art of living, “Provençal style”, with its Medieval fortifications, its colourful little shops, its famous Truffle and Wine Museum, and its proud Renaissance mansions, such as the elegant house where the artist Dora Maar, Picasso’s most passionate lover, lived most of her life.