The Villager

In the beautiful mountainside village of Tourrettes sur Loup, the Devil Dog made acquaintance with a certain Hans Bloom, a former international airline pilot and transplant from Sweden.

Hans was standing in the street as we were taking our walking tour and we struck up a conversation. He invited us to see his flat, on the second floor of a 14th century building. We eagerly accepted the invitation, extremely curious to see one of these dwellings from the inside. As luck would have it we had taken a picture of his apartment earlier that day from across the ravine. Thats his balcony on the second floor of the building just left of the centre in the picture above, the middle floor of the three story building with balconies on the first two floors.

This is the cul de sac where a staircase (not seen in this pictrue) leads to the entrance to his apartment.

And here is Hans Bloom, wandering villager, former airline pilot, and lover of beer, here in his apartment, which is apparently decorated with wayfarer fisherman lanterns.  Hans has a firm grip on my lovely wife Alison.

Here the two of us share a laugh during our visit. The apartment was comfortable and somewhat small, but with beautiful wood beams and an incredible view out the balcony. We will take a closer look in the next post.

Cliffside Manor in Tourrettes sur Loup

As we are coming up the far side of the path that leads back up from the bottom of the village to the main square we come upon a lookout facing west with a chance to view the the cliffside manors of this side of the village.

The Devil Dog is never shy about exploring, and the wonder of these lovely homes sitting here with these amazing views for the last 800 years is enough to put the zap on the head of the most sanguine individual. In the two pictures above we see how the houses and their balconies literally make up the exterior wall of the village, overlooking the abyss below. In the picture below we look slightly north to see the mountains looming above the village. In the south of France there are many astounding beautiful medieval villages, but none that I have found with the air of suspended disbelief, the sheer fairy tale quality of Tourrettes sur Loup.

Medieval homes and streets Tourrettes sur Loup

It is the astonishment of  living in the modern age in pristine surroundings of a 14th century home that makes Tourrettes sur Loup so fascinating.  Here, in the picture above, is the gateway that leads under the village perimeter at its low point to the scenic outlook above the valley that spreads out below on three sides.  Above the gateway sits part of a beautiful home with an astounding view. 

Here is another restored home dating from the 14th century somewhere in the middle of the village.  The Devil Dog was enthralled with what they must look like inside. We shall see what transpired in that regard in several more columns. Suffice to say for the moment that the entire village has been largely restored in its interiors to impeccable modern conditions while maintaining the flavor of medieval existance in its exteriors and its interior beams.  

As we mentioned, in strolling through the village there is a main sidewalk/trail/pathway/street that takes you literally from the top to the bottom of the village and back to the main square in one circumventing route, allowing a complete tour of all aspects of the village, from shop to homes to scenic look outs, in one penetrating hour or two of exploring. Here below is a look at that pathway as we are coming up from the bottom of the village.
Even the building that seem dilapidated are still fabulous, like the one in the picture below. Tourrettes sur Loup has a distinction and charm that makes it stand out like a flawless gem in a whole area of ancient villages that are diamonds in their own right.

House of golden stone Tourrettes sur Loup

There at the bottom of Tourrettes sur Loup, where the village path comes to an apex at the scenic lookout, if you turn around and look back at the village, there is the house we see above, golden stone and an invincible location, a courtyard and a towering three story structure with a tree blooming in shades of fiery yellow.
The home is probably 700 years old, the interior is restored, the exterior is amazing, the location is astounding, and the views....the views are a wonder of perfection.  There are several thousand lucky inhabitants of Tourettes sur Loup, many of them locals, many who have lived there much of their life, and then there are many who have found this place, from all over Europe, and made it their home.

The Devil Dog is a simple man with extravagant dreams and a wild streak. But if anywhere would be a perfect location to settle down and while away the afternoons sipping coffee and painting watercolors, or writing that book so often pondered, it would be here, in Tourrettes sur Loup, on the balcony of this house, overlooking this valley, under the yellow plumes of this tree. A Devil Dog can dream, can't he.

The view across the valley at Tourrettes sur Loup

Standing on the precipice at the bottom of Tourrettes sur Loup, the Devil Dog looks east across the valley at this lovely house on the top of the opposing cliff.  A closer look, below reveals just how quaint, and precarious, the positioning of this home is.
Then gazing south we see the full valley below, bisected by the aging aqueduct that stands like a grand ornamental trellis across the lower valley.

At the bottom of the trail at Tourrettes Sur Loup

At the bottom of the path thru the village of Tourrettes sur Loup you come to a small overlook at a tiny park on the other side of thep village walls.  Looking back you see the beautiful stone ramparts of the houses that make up the endpoint of the village, overlooking the valley.

The outposts of serenity are family dwellings of immeasurable beauty, with views that are unmatchable, a reminder of the pace of life thru the centuries that has remained unchanged, and that blends with 21st century life more easily than one might imagine. 

Wandering thru Tourrettes sur Loup

There are many aspects of what makes Tourrettes sur Loup so special.  Above you see the main street leading its way in a complete circle thru the village. At the top of the village are a series of shops, an art studio, a ceramic pottery workshop, and numerous tiny businesses.

As you work your way down the businesses give way to house after house of beautiful stone work, lining the edges of the cliffside with amazing views and filling the center with the quaint architecture of perfectly restored 14th century homes.

Tourrettes sur Loup

On the road back road between Grasse and Vence is the stunning town of Tourrettes sur Loup, an impeccable hidden gem perched like a crouching animal on an isthmus jutting out from the mountainside, giving way on three sides to a steep cliff, and at the lower endpoint of the village a trail leads down to the valley below. The medieval village itself is amazing, with an easy to follow walking path that takes you throughout the entire village, from the main square on top to the lowest point at the overlook into the valley, and then back up the other side to the main square.
A 14th century village that is home to shops, craftsmen, and a wide variety of residents, locals and transplants, Tourrettes sur Loup has a charm and authenticity that cries out for you to simply hang out, relax, enjoy, wander, and appreciate.  The Devil Dog has seen many charming medieval villages but none has struck him with the power and beauty of Touresttes sur Loup, literally the lair of the wolf, as it emerges like a vision in the sky, a village virtually suspended in mid air.