Manosque

Manosque, birthplace of Jean Giono

The real treasure of Manosque is its beauty » wrote its native son, Jean Giono, about his birthplace which elegantly blends its historic heritage with the typical charm of the hills of Provence.
The town of Manosque, meaning ‘inhabitant of the hills’ in Celto-Ligurian, lies in the Durance Valley between the Luberon hills which culminate at 700m, and the Pays du Verdon area. The thousand-year-old town has a particularly rich historical heritage of ramparts, gateways and towers at the heart of a Provençal landscape of plateaux with olive trees, holm oaks and ‘garrigues’ (heathland).
The pear-shaped old town has very pretty little squares of attractive houses. For a better view of the town and beautiful surrounding countryside go to the top of Mont d’Or hill and admire the panoramic views over the Lubéron, Sainte-Baume, Haut-Var and even the first peaks of the Alps.

It is impossible not to visit the Jean Giono Centre which showcases the writer and his work.   This resource, research and cultural activity centre also features a permanent exhibition « Jean Giono ou le voyageur immobile (the stationary traveller) », temporary exhibitions, a library and a video-library, as well as organising literary walks, discovery courses and meetings with authors. In addition, the Fondation Carzou is a cultural centre which examines the themes pursued by the artist throughout his career. Manosque was immensely proud to be chosen by Jean Carzou as the venue for his monumental, dreamlike view of the Apocalypse, a gigantic fresco covering all the walls of the ‘Chapelle de la Congrégation des Dames de la Présentation de Notre-Dame’.
Three guided walks start from the Porte Soubeyran along paths used by the French Resistance.  The nearby village of Volx is home to the ‘Ecomusée de l’Olivier’, an ecomuseum devoted to the olive tree and its relationship with mankind. (Suitable for visually-impaired visitors and also those with reduced mobility).