The gallery/studio of Juliet S. is in Ansouis, classified as one of the most beautiful villages of France. In this region, which has 300 sunny days a year, every season has its charm.
In spring there are the almond and cherry orchards in flower ; in summer the exhuberant lavander, hot temperatures and the song of the cicadas; in autumn the grapevines and forests change colours with tones of brown, yellow and red, and in winter the olive trees are powdered with frost under a blue sky.
Ansouis is in the centre of the “pays d’Aygues”, with the Grand Luberon mountain and the Durance river on the horizons; it is 10 minutes from Lourmarin and 25 minutes form Aix en Provence. In the middle ages, Ansouis was in an ideal situation for controlling the road between Aix en Provence and Apt.
Today, this marvellously preserved village is dominated by its magnificent castle, an ancient possession of the de Sabran family. Walking up, we pass through the streets with beautifully restored houses; the oldest were built in the 15th and 17th century. The church of Saint Martin is even older and inside we can admire reliquary busts, wooden panels and an 18th century altarpiece.
The castle, a medieval fortress and also a country house, has conserved a keep and its turrets, as well as ramparts with crenelations and machicolations. The gardens are magnificent, decorated with box hedges and beautifully kept. There is a superb view of the Saint Victoire mountain from the terrace. Here all is calm and peace. The owners, Fréderique and Gérard Rousset-Rivière, receive you with warmth and enthusiasm during the season.
As for Juliet Schlunke, she opened her gallery/studio in December 2015, like another home, where she has hung her paintings, placed her ceramics, her books, and a corner to work, without forgetting the music which is always present.
It is ideally situated, between the council chambers and Muriel’s little supermarket, and opposite Julie and Théo’s delicious patisserie, in the centre of the timeless village of Ansouis. Life goes on here in a simple way, far from the tumult of towns and cities.