Alain Ducasse was riding his motorcycle on the roads of Provence one day in 1994 when he discovered a house standing in the midst of lavender and olive trees. He was immediately enchanted by the property, which had once belonged to a master ceramist.
“I made it my anchoring harbour, my home,” the renowned chef recalled later, “before deciding to open it to others. It has always had this very special place in my heart, and it still has today.”
Located in the village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, close to the Gorges du Verdon, the property was transformed into a private home before Ducasse decided to convert it into a country inn.
The main building was restored by local artisans, and Ducasse commissioned designer friend Tonia Peyrot to “give the building the special feel that makes it so endearing”.
The result of their décor collaboration was the inn’s spacious showpiece Bastidon suite, chic yet traditional, featuring beautifully worked raw materials: wood walls and furniture, stone floor and wall coverings, and a monumental Louis XV-style marble mantelpiece in the living room and Indian “rain forest” marble for the bathroom. The great oak four-poster bed was created by a Japanese designer, and the private garden includes a terrace, fig trees, olive trees, holly oaks, cypresses and the gentle sounds of an old Provençale fountain.
Wanting his inn to be warm and welcoming, and each one of his guests to feel at home, Ducasse shared his passion for the “terroir”, the local land, and personally dedicated himself to its fittings, including small details that give a family house its charm: antiques, picnic baskets and bicycles to help guests discover the region for themselves.
Mediterranean “art de vivre” is celebrated at the dining table, with the restaurant holding a Michelin star since 2002. The Provençale cuisine and menus are changed daily, “to follow the seasons and glorify local market products”.
Alain Ducasse is known for his love of simple and authentic flavours, and chef Christophe Martin is also committed to exceptional regional food: beauregard lamb, cheese from Banon, truffle from Riez, Cavaillon melon… and Sonaillo, a home-made cocktail that “honours” the Amandine (a local liquor).
Built like an amphitheatre, the village was named after a monastery founded in the fifth century. It became an important pilgrimage site in the 11th century, and today visitors can still see a chain with a silver star suspended high across the valley – a famous ex-voto once owned by a knight who had returned unharmed from the Crusades.
Water is plentiful in Moustiers and, combined with the clay soil and nearby woods, this has given birth to a long-standing pottery tradition at the village. In the early 18th century, Joseph Olerys brought polychromy techniques back from Spain, later perfected by numerous artisans.
www.bastide-moustiers.com / www.alain-ducasse.com
