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The Luberon or Luberon Massif (Provençal Occitan: Leberon in classical norm or Leberoun in Mistralian norm), also called Lubéron, has a maximum altitude of 1,256 m and an area of about 600 km². It is composed of three mountain ranges: (from west to east) the Little Luberon, the Big Luberon and the Oriental Luberon, lying in the middle of Provence in the far south of France. The valleys north and south of them contain a number of towns and villages as well as agricultural land.

The total number of inhabitants varies greatly between winter and summer, due to a massive influx of tourists during the warm season.

It is a favourite destination for French high society and British and American visitors because of the pleasant and picturesque towns and villages, comfortable way of life, agricultural wealth, historical and cultural associations (e.g., Samuel Beckett lived in Cave Bonelly, a vineyard near to Roussillon, during World War II), and hiking trails.

In the 1970s, people came from all over France to "Le Luberon" in search of a communitarian ideal.

The Force de frappe or French strategic nuclear arsenal used to be nearby, underground, on "Le Plateau d'Albion" before being dismantled in the late 1980s. Now, the underground site where the missile controls were located is a public multidisciplinary laboratory of the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, the Low Noise Underground Laboratory (LSBB) of Rustrel, Pays d'Apt.^[1]

In the last two decades the Luberon has become known in the English-speaking world especially through a series of books by British author Peter Mayle chronicling his life as an expatriate settled in the Luberon village of Ménerbes. These are titled A Year in Provence, Toujours Provence, and Encore Provence. Another of Mayle's books, a novel set in the Luberon, was made into a film called A Good Year (2006) directed by Ridley Scott, starring Russell Crowe and filmed in the region.

Flora and fauna

Luberon is particularly rich in terms of its biological diversity. There are known to be around 1,500 species of plants, accounting for 30% of the flora and fauna in France, 17,000 species and sub-species of insects with almost 2,300 species of Lepidoptera, or nearly 40% of species living in France, 341 species and subspecies of vertebrate wildlife, 135 species of birds and 21 species of bats or 70% of species present in France. Among the 1,500 different species of plants, there are 700 species and sub-species of higher plants and 200 species of lichens. Rich fossil deposits are also preserved here, documenting for example ancient species related to songbirds, as well as an ancestral pelican.

Ladder snake
Bonelli's Eagle
Short-toed Snake Eagle, the largest bird of prey of the Luberon

Communes in the Parc naturel régional du Luberon

In Vaucluse

Ansouis
Apt, small town near the eastern end of the Luberon valley
La Bastide-des-Jourdans
La Bastidonne
Beaumettes
Beaumont-de-Pertuis
Bonnieux
Buoux
Cabrières-d'Aigues
Cadenet
Caseneuve
Cavaillon, small town at the western entrance to the Luberon valley
Cheval-Blanc
Cucuron
Gargas
Gordes
Goult
Grambois
Joucas
Lacoste
Lagarde-d'Apt
Lauris
Lioux
Lourmarin
Maubec
Ménerbes
Mérindol
Mirabeau
Murs
Oppède
Pertuis
Peypin-d'Aigues
Puget
Puyvert
Robion
Roussillon
Rustrel
Saignon
Saint-Martin-de-Castillon
Saint-Martin-de-la-Brasque
Saint-Pantaléon
Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt
Sannes
Taillades
La Tour-d'Aigues
Vaugines
Viens
Villars
Villelaure
Vitrolles-en-Luberon

In Alpes-de-Haute-Provence

The "Golden Triangle" of Luberon

Bonnieux, village on the border between the Little and Big Luberon
Gordes, facing the Luberon, this village is considered the top of the Golden Triangle (the base being made by the Little Luberon mountains)
Goult, perched on a hill in the middle of the valley of the Luberon.
Lacoste and the ancient castle of the uncle of "le Marquis de Sade"
Ménerbes
Oppède with its historic section perched on the hillside Oppéde-le-Vieux
Roussillon, like Goult, perched on a hill within the Luberon valley

Southern Luberon

Lourmarin, village on the border between Little and Big Luberon
Cucuron
Pavillon de Galon

References

^ Low Noise Underground Laboratory (LSBB) of Rustrel, Pays d'Apt

External links

43°47′46″N 5°13′26″E / 43.79611°N 5.22389°E / 43.79611; 5.22389

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[1] Low Noise Underground Laboratory (LSBB) of Rustrel, Pays d'Apt

[1]

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 In the 1970s, people came from all over France to "Le Luberon" in search of a communitarian ideal.
-The ''[[Force de frappe]]'' or French strategic nuclear arsenal used to be nearby, underground, on "Le Plateau d'Albion" before being dismantled in the late 1980s. Now, the underground site where the missile controls were located, is a public multidisciplinary laboratory of the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, the Low Noise Underground Laboratory (LSBB) of Rustrel, Pays d'Apt.<ref>[http://lsbb.oca.eu/?lang=en Low Noise Underground Laboratory (LSBB) of Rustrel, Pays d'Apt]</ref>
+The ''[[Force de frappe]]'' or French strategic nuclear arsenal used to be nearby, underground, on "Le Plateau d'Albion" before being dismantled in the late 1980s. Now, the underground site where the missile controls were located is a public multidisciplinary laboratory of the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, the Low Noise Underground Laboratory (LSBB) of Rustrel, Pays d'Apt.<ref>[http://lsbb.oca.eu/?lang=en Low Noise Underground Laboratory (LSBB) of Rustrel, Pays d'Apt]</ref>
 In the last two decades the Luberon has become known in the English-speaking world especially through a series of books by [[United Kingdom|British]] author [[Peter Mayle]] chronicling his life as an [[expatriate]] settled in the Luberon village of [[Ménerbes]].  These are titled ''[[A Year in Provence]]'', ''[[Toujours Provence]]'', and ''[[Encore Provence]]''. Another of Mayle's books, a novel set in the Luberon, was made into a film called ''[[A Good Year]]'' (2006) directed by [[Ridley Scott]], starring [[Russell Crowe]] and filmed in the region.