梅內爾伯：建在懸崖上的石頭村，監獄竟是無敵山景房｜普羅旺斯古村落巡禮①
Alright, Let’s head out. Finally going out. It’s noon, blazing sun. The sunlight’s just perfect. Our neighbor drives that BMW right there. They just came back from buying some bread and supplies, the whole family. Playing house out here, I guess. Let’s go to the nearest one. Nine minutes away. Does the gate open automatically? Now turn left to stay on route des Pettitons Minguettes. Oh, this place is way more advanced than the first one we stayed at— Michael’s place, that one was much older. You had to use the remote to open and close everything there. But here it’s all automatic. Except you need a code to get in. Should be this way. It’s such a tiny village. I’d guess nearly half the houses have been turned into manor-style B&Bs. It couldn’t be any smaller… And the road we’re turning into— look how narrow it is… I’m not even sure our car can fit through. Plenty of space on this side though… So unbelievably tiny… Olive trees and— and vineyards line both sides. Those are olive trees. They’ve already started blooming. Saw an interesting quote today— “To ease your anxiety, go spend time in nature.” So this idea of encouraging young people to return to the countryside actually makes a lot of sense. And right around the corner—vineyards again. Didn’t expect France to be full of vineyards everywhere. I feel like they don’t even need to grow other crops— just eat grapes and that’s enough. Such an incredibly narrow little road—finally we’re out. Is that a supermarket? No idea, really. Feels more like…? An amusement park? Lots of people taking photos. There’s a pool too… This is hilarious— they even have two cannons here! Look at that old man… That’s killing me with laughter. Is this a winery? Winery or supermarket, which is it? Whatever, let’s just take a look inside. Let’s go in and see. Looks like a wine shop though. Is this a winery? A hotel. Huh? A hotel? Can’t be. A wine tasting place. Seems like it’s closed. They’re selling wine, let’s go. Yeah, selling wine. So it’s actually a wine shop. Our first time walking into a winery. Wow, it’s really beautiful. Wow, super beautiful. Seems even Westerners care about feng shui layouts. Mountains in the back, water in front. The scenery’s really nice. Accidentally stumbled into a Provençal winery. So, you really have to be careful driving in France. These roads— the speed limit’s actually 80. Local drivers just zoom right through. But since we’re not familiar, we usually stop, look, then go. It’s slower that way, but it has its benefits. It helps avoid getting hit in blind spots. Like this — a sharp turn. For French drivers, they just breeze right through. So, as my uncle says, every French driver thinks they’re a racer. He’s not wrong. We’re really not far from where we live. That little town up on the hill—that’s it. The sign for Ménerbes. We’re now officially entering the town limits. Turn left, that’s toward the town center. Let’s find a place to park first. Seems like this town is quite popular. You can tell by all the full parking spaces. Let’s look for a shady spot to park. Then we’ll stroll around slowly. So many cars, yet the town center feels so quiet. Where did everyone go? Finally, I see people. Probably too hot today. Locals must be hiding indoors at noon. That Saint Bernard up ahead looks miserable. It’s such a hot day, with all that fur, and still walking under the sun. I feel bad for it. Ah! Took the wrong turn! Guess I can’t even be brave today. One careless move and it’s a dead end. This little town is built along the slope. Its layout feels really compact. The streets you can actually drive on are only wide enough for one SUV at a time. Any slightly wider space has been turned into roadside parking by locals and tourists. So when you visit here, make sure you remember both entry and exit routes— a wrong turn could put you going against traffic. Lucky us, there’s a parking spot under a tree. Before we start exploring, let’s fly the drone— get a bird’s-eye view first. Ménerbes is located in the Luberon mountains of Provence. The town sits right on a ridge. Surrounded by vineyards and orchards. It was once named one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France. On this trip to France, I’ve realized there’s no such thing as an “ugly” village here. Seems like “the most beautiful” has become the default tagline for every French village. Without that phrase, you’re not even on the map. So don’t get hung up on the word “most beautiful.” If it’s in France, it’s beautiful—no doubt about it. As the saying goes, everyone has their own Hamlet. As long as you think it’s beautiful, that’s enough. This village built on stone hills originated from a Roman relay station between Cavaillon and Apt. It was named after Minerve, the daughter of Jupiter in Roman mythology. That’s how the village got its name. Since the 11th century, it’s been a defensive stronghold. It had a solid fortress protecting the region. So now you can still see castles, walls, and bell towers. The oldest ruins here are said to date back to the Neolithic era. During the religious wars of the 16th century, it was the site of battles between Huguenots and Catholics. Stone houses, narrow streets, and scenic viewpoints— these are all defining features of the village. Since the 20th century, many artists and writers have lived or worked here. The British writer Peter Mayle even set his bestseller A Year in Provence here. We’re now in a small village called Ménerbes near where we stay. Ah… wait… not a town, it’s actually a village. A village built right on rocky slopes. It used to be a rather quiet, lesser-known place. Didn’t expect it to be packed with cars now. And this village— they say… there’s a secret tunnel that’s worth seeing. Because during the religious wars, locals resisted a Catholic siege for fifteen months, using that secret tunnel to transport supplies. Sounds a bit like China’s tunnel warfare, doesn’t it? But this place actually reminds me of another small town we visited in southern France— Saint Paul. Near Nice. Can’t recall its Chinese name right now. Saint Paul, I think. There’s a church here. You can see how the village stretches along the ridge. Built narrow and long on the hill. So cute… So cute… This is the village church. Look at the massive wooden dome carving… Wow… that’s insane. It’s all carved wood. So beautiful! The church is quite small. It can probably hold at most… four seats per row, two, four, six, eight… about thirty people per side— so, a few dozen people total. A very small countryside church. But the wooden ceiling is just stunning. The sides are simple though. No frescoes or anything. But there’s a second-floor gallery— no pipe organ, though. There isn’t even a donation box here. They only have a donation basket like this. People just give whatever they want. Look at this floor… Wow… this is really ancient. There’s an information plaque here. It reads like this when translated: This small church in the village center was built in 1734 by the Brotherhood of the White Penitents. Which means, it now has nearly 400 years of history. It’s a Catholic lay confraternity. And the church’s narthex— displays fragments of sculptures mutilated during the Revolution. The narthex should be right here. But we can’t go in. Its position on an isolated rock gives it a defensive feel. On the list of French historic monuments, it includes two 18th-century architectural elements: a decorated carved wooden ceiling, and a wrought-iron gallery grille. The wrought-iron—ah—this is it. Yes, the wrought-iron gallery grille. During the Revolutionary period, the small church served as a meeting room for the republicans. And, there is Mass here at 9 a.m. on Fridays. So only at 9 a.m. on Fridays. No regular services otherwise. So that wooden ceiling really is very, very beautiful. Wow… so beautiful… This is quite appealing… Is this a tourist price or what? This is their so-called “Grocery” — the little general store. You see — this is the village, Ménerbes. What do they sell here? Jams, locally produced wines… Bonjour! This is €2.50… That ham. This one… this one is expensive… Thank you. That cheese— the butter is a bit pricey. The other day we bought this jam — it was only a couple of euros. Mmm… Not expensive… This one… hey… You like it, huh… This one is €9.80? Wow… That’s a bit over the top… Look at those residents living in caves — they’ve hollowed out homes inside the rock. You can see the cellars too. It doesn’t look like it was built on flat ground. It was dug out of the rock. All these tourists are eating down here. Let’s follow up and have a look. We’ll find a supermarket soon to buy some things. So sunny, so hot… A French beauty. So pretty, that girl… This place is even more crowded… Wow, look at their office… Wow, it’s really beautiful. Below the hill there’s a winery, surrounded by vineyards. From here it really looks quite grand. Just like what you see in the movies. Let’s keep walking up a bit. This row of houses is built along the slope. The front doors face the view below. That saying “open the door and see the mountain” must be like this. This town— seems to be ramping up construction here because of tourism. Over there they’re either renovating or building. This whole road is uphill. Although the incline isn’t large, it’s still a little tiring for walking. For elderly people it can be quite challenging. This house is so pretty. Let’s go up this way. This is just above where we parked. Isn’t this exactly the spot above where we parked earlier? This village is very small. It’s just a palm-sized little place. This should be the original high point of the village. The place with the cross. Not sure if this is a restaurant now, or what we would call the village office. Looks like it’s being repaired… under restoration. See that bell up there? It should be an office, with lots of records. Probably the village hall. They say the French are lazy—where’s the laziness? Where is it? It’s 1:30 now, and people are still working. The bell tower enclosed on the right is Ménerbes’ bell tower. It’s a historic monument. Looks like we won’t get to see it close up this time. This is the other side, shall we keep going? Or loop back? Who knows—you decide. The shady spots here are really comfortable, really comfortable. That vintage car is…? Oh… a Land Cruiser… This is the Toyota Land Cruiser J70 version. It’s just turned 40 years on the market this year. It’s quite a classic. Its successor model is the Prado we all know. But personally, I prefer this retro design. Alright, let’s turn back. Mm… Hmm. Look at how that window juts out — it’s so nice. They’ve built a sort of suspended balcony. This house made a cantilevered balcony to fit the site. It looks pretty cool. And it’s all floor-to-ceiling glass. Open it up and you get an unbeatable mountain view. Truly spectacular. Owner-occupied. Someone’s living there… Playing music… Hey… Cooling off here. There’s a very tiny stool — who’s that for? The place is small, but their stuff is quite exquisite. Mm. My wife says, this is the most satisfying of all the little towns we’ve visited. Look at these spots — the courtyards are so beautifully done. Check out that courtyard — that’s a parking space, and from that courtyard you already have an unbeatable view. It’s really stunning. Over here… look at this. These spots — they have lots of tiny sculptures and decorations that make the whole atmosphere refined. Very artsy, very tasteful. Really has that cultural, arty feel. Outside it’s blue sky and white clouds. Totally overexposed just now. So beautiful. I don’t even want to go to Avignon anymore. I’ll just wander around these small towns for the next few days. All those big attractions — castles, museums — they’re not that different. Better to stroll here. See the local everyday life. Check out people’s daily scenes. This one’s being renovated — they bought it. They already bought it. They started work in 2024, but it doesn’t seem to have progressed much since then. 918 square meters. Impressive. This is a castle — the legendary €1 castle. This must have been an old watchtower, I think. I didn’t read the plaque. Oh—this is— Oh, this is a prison. Wow… the prison has such an incredible view. Even being imprisoned here would be quite an experience. Look at the guesthouses below — they all have private pools. Let’s take a look at this prison. This is the old prison. This one is a prison too. This prison even has a first floor. It also has an unbeatable viewpoint. Living here must be awesome — seriously. But this place still seems under renovation. Probably being turned into a guesthouse as well. These walls are made with traditional concrete techniques. All these stone walls. I wonder if they’ve been restored since. So delicately made… This place is lovely. This balcony is literally cantilevered. Awesome! This is exactly where I parked earlier. We need to head in that direction. See — that is the prison. That lamp by the gate. The residents below live a bit messily. This household might not be local. They’re flying what looks like a South Asian national flag. Their place is a bit untidy. These small units are quite charming. These? You’d think it’s big, right? A whole building… Three storeys… This one’s actually a mansion. It’s not that people are deliberately painting their facades in different colors— it’s not purely commercial. They do it so that, from far away, you can tell which house is yours. You won’t get lost. Exactly. Or so that from a distance you can spot “that’s my home.” That house is probably a guesthouse. We’ve walked back to the church we saw earlier. Now we’ll head in another direction. This way… Turns out people, like us, often peek through windows to see what’s inside. This curiosity, it turns out, doesn’t care about country, region, or race. Everyone has that same curiosity. That beauty lives here. Returning to the countryside is like this — a few steps to work, and at home there’s a big tree to cool you. Want to see how people live? Take a look… A double courtyard layout, with another door inside. The little puppy’s owner walked away — now it’s sprinting over. Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Four local residents — big men, raising a tiny little dog. And it’s such a small pup. Our air conditioner — a Fujitsu. Somehow it even got moved all the way to France. What beautiful flowers! These roses are gorgeous. If an elderly person lived here it’d be tough for them. This is the viewpoint. Luckily the spacing between the houses blocks some of the sun. So walking around isn’t too tiring. A huge door knocker. This rose is so pretty, absolutely beautiful. We bought one of these scented sachets, to use as an air freshener in our Tesla. Everything here is handmade by the shop owner. Made on the spot. A large sachet is €14. This smaller one — since we hang it in the car, it’s €5. Everything is her handcrafted work. She doesn’t speak English, only French. But with gestures and expressions, we easily understand each other. This one is €20. Eh? This one’s nice. €14. Yeah. €19 or €14? €14. Yeah, this must be the one for the car earlier. Now it’s here… yeah yeah… I’ll take this one. I think this is the local style… Hey, this one’s pretty good too… Which do you prefer? This one’s €15 actually. This one’s for the dashboard. Just place it there, don’t hang it. If you like it. Does this have…? This one even has the car brand name… Yeah. Around ten-something? €14. Let’s check out this shop. This shop is pretty nice. I originally planned to buy lavender at the abbey. But since you bought it, that’s fine. We can always go look again. What do they sell here? Oh? That apron looks kind of cute… Bonjour. Bonjour. €44 for an apron… The mug? Look at it. Did they fire it in like that? This mug — you can see the leaf is burned into it. Don’t know how they did it. It’s like the leaf bookmarks we make back home. That… I really like this bowl. Too bad we can’t take it back. It’s really beautiful. Enamelware. Is this enamel? Yes. This enamel plate is lovely. How much is that candle holder? €30… Not like those stores selling mass-market stuff… Especially the ones in Alsace. Those small towns’ shops just sell mass-market goods. Now we’ll go get the car and head to the next village. This region — Provence, everyone knows Provence. But Provence is actually a very large area. Most of the notable small towns are concentrated around the Luberon. Each town nearby has its own character. Each one is unique. So it’s worth spending time just lounging around here. Look at that blue sky and white clouds — beautiful. That’s the end of our stroll in Ménerbes. The village really isn’t large, in about two hours you can cover it all. We’ll stop by another village on the way back. If you’re interested in our next stops, remember to follow me. See you in the next video. Bye for now. See you in the next video.
普羅旺斯呂貝龍|梅內爾伯，石頭山上的千年法式古山城
🏰 探訪法國最美小鎮之一！這座建在石頭山上的中世紀古村落，藏著普羅旺斯最地道的法式風情。
📍 視頻亮點：
✨ 千年歷史的梅內爾伯古村 – 從新石器時代到中世紀的歷史遺跡
⛪ 400年歷史的木穹頂教堂 – 震撼的巴洛克藝術傑作
🏛️ 古代監獄遺址 – 無敵山景的”豪華牢房”
🍷 普羅旺斯酒莊探訪 – 被葡萄園環繞的浪漫莊園
🏘️ 石頭民居 – 依山而建的特色建築群
🌄 360度全景山景 – 航拍展現古村全貌
🎯 關於梅內爾伯 About Ménerbes：
梅內爾伯位於法國普羅旺斯-阿爾卑斯-藍色海岸大區的呂貝龍山區，被評為”法國最美小鎮”之一。這座建於石頭山脊上的中世紀村莊，歷史可追溯至新石器時代，擁有11世紀的防禦城堡、16世紀宗教戰爭遺跡。英國作家彼得·梅爾的暢銷書《在普羅旺斯的一年》就以此為背景。
🔑 旅行小貼士 Travel Tips：
最佳遊覽時間：春秋兩季，避開盛夏高溫
停車建議：小鎮中心停車位緊張，建議早到
必去景點：聖布萊斯教堂、古監獄、觀景臺
特色體驗：當地手工藝品店、薰衣草製品
周邊推薦：呂貝龍其他美麗小鎮值得一遊
Provence Luberon | Ménerbes: Medieval French Stone Village on Mountain
🏰 Discover one of France’s Most Beautiful Villages! This medieval stone village perched on rocky mountains hides the most authentic charm of Provence.
📍 Video Highlights:
✨ 1000-year-old Ménerbes Village – From Neolithic to Medieval heritage
⛪ 400-year-old Wooden Ceiling Church – Stunning Baroque masterpiece
🏛️ Ancient Prison Ruins – “Luxury cells” with breathtaking mountain views
🍷 Provence Winery Visit – Romantic estates surrounded by vineyards
🏘️ Stone Houses – Unique hillside architecture
🌄 360° Panoramic Views – Drone footage of the entire ancient village
🎯 About Ménerbes:
Located in the Luberon mountains of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Ménerbes is officially recognized as one of “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France” (The Most Beautiful Villages of France). This medieval village built on a stone ridge dates back to the Neolithic era, featuring an 11th-century defensive fortress and 16th-century religious war heritage. It served as the inspiration for Peter Mayle’s bestselling book “A Year in Provence.”
🔑 Travel Tips:
Best time to visit: Spring & Fall (avoid summer heat)
Parking: Limited spaces in town center, arrive early
Must-see: Chapelle Saint-Blaise, ancient prison, viewpoints
Local specialties: Handcrafted lavender products
Nearby: Other beautiful Luberon villages worth exploring
聖布萊斯教堂 Chapelle Saint-Blaise
地址/Address：Rue Kléber Guendon, 84560 Ménerbes, France
Boulangerie Roche Joël
地址/Address：Rue Kléber Guendon, 84560 Ménerbes, France
開放時間/Opening Hours：Tue — Sun： 07:30–15:00
Mon : Closed
官方網址/Official Website : http://boulangerie-joel.gaqo.net/
聯繫方式/Tel：+33490724279
Torre del reloj
地址/Address：Rue du Portail Neuf, 84560 Ménerbes, France
Petits points de Provence
地址/Address：5 Pl. Albert Roure, 84560 Ménerbes, France
開放時間/Opening Hours：Mon — Sat：10:00–18:30
Sun：Closed
聯繫方式/Tel：+33490720877
Mas des Infermières
地址/Address：1575 Rte du Four Neuf, 84580 Oppède, France
開放時間/Opening Hours：Tue—Sat：10:00–12:30，14:00–18:00
Sun、Mon：Closed
官方網址/Official Website : http://masdesinfermieres.com/
聯繫方式/Tel：+33490756616