The rugged countryside near Buoux
This morning we hiked around two of the smallest, highest and most isolated villages in the Luberon: Buoux and Sivergues. This rocky and remote area has been inhabited since prehistoric times—perhaps for over 50,000 years.
Buoux—at 1542 feet—has a reported population of 117. It’s located just down from the Claparèdes Plateau, above the valley of the Aiguebrun, the only permanent stream in the Luberon mountains. It sits above the Combe de Lourmarin, which is the only break through the Luberon mountains.
Sivergues (the highest village in the Luberon at 1867 feet) has 25 or 41 people, depending on the information source. It’s located on the other side of the Aiguebrun Valley from Buoux, on the slopes of the Grand Luberon mountain. According to legend, the village was founded when a convent was established here in the 5th century—by six virgins… hence the name. Sivergues actually has its own website.
Neither village is large enough to have a bakery, a shop or a school. Children from Buoux are bused to the school Kelly attended in Bonnieux. Buoux and Sivergues are farming communities—lavender, goat cheese, and honey—that also rely on tourism. Both villages have small B&Bs and rustic inns, catering to hikers, rock climbers, equestrians, and others who enjoy a rural and natural environment. The Buoux area has a couple of well-known restaurants, and a few kilometers beyond Sivergues is Le Castelas, the ferme-auberge where we had lunch a week ago.
Buoux has a fairly large Mairie (town hall) and an 18th century church, supposedly with a 5th century altar. Sivergues has a tiny 16th century church that seats eight people. Both villages were once much more substantial. We wondered why people so long ago gravitated to live in such isolated and primitive places. Buoux was once an important defensive location—guarding the combe. And back in the 16th century, Sivergues was a place where Protestant families fled persecution and possible death.
Old fountain and lavoir in Buoux
Our round trip walk today was about 8 miles, beginning and ending in the village of Buoux. We left Buoux at 7:30 am; the village was still quiet, though we noticed signs for a “Vide Grenier” (“empty attic” sale) tomorrow. It would be interesting to see how much “stuff” 117 people have to sell.
We hiked down from the village to the edge of the cliffs at Buoux (300 feet high and straight down), one of the most important rock climbing areas in Europe. At one point, the path actually runs less than ten feet from the edge of the cliff—no guard rails or caution signs… just your own instincts of self-preservation. We didn’t see any rock climbers today—too hot in summer and still a bit windy today.
Standing on the cliff edge at Buoux
Directly across the valley we could see the ruins of “Fort de Buoux,” once a Roman oppidium that stood watch over this valley. The ruins of the citadelle and village built later on this spot date from the 12th to 16th century.
View across the Aiguebrun Valley to the ruins of Fort Buoux
We descended to the valley floor, crossed the small Aiguebrun river, and almost immediately began climbing up again. We passed by numerous caves and troglodyte dwellings built into the steep rock walls. About 45 minutes later we arrived in Sivergues, also very quiet on this Saturday morning. A gite owner was shaking blankets out a window and in the distance we heard a tractor. And then we were descending again to the valley floor and back up again to the Claparèdes Plateau. The plateau is a major area for lavender growing, though much of the lavender has now been harvested and the vibrant colors have dulled. We followed an easy road through the countryside, enjoying views of the mountains and the lavender. And soon we were back again at our car in Buoux.
This evening before dinner we returned to Sivergues and Buoux by car. My camera battery had run out in Sivergues, and I wanted to get some photos of the last half of the walk. We also wanted to check a couple of details about our hike.
To our surprise, we passed at least five cars on the small road leading to Sivergues. Very strange for 7:00 on a Saturday evening! And then as we approached the village, we saw cars parked on the side of the road, children playing, people sitting on the bridge, groups of men playing petanque. There were at least 50 cars and more than 100 people. Down on a large grassy area there were lights strung in the trees, tables and chairs set up, and a large catering truck. In a village of 25 or 41 people, what could possibly be happening? Was it a wedding? A family reunion? The annual summer fête of Les Amis de Sivergues?
We didn’t see any posters about tonight’s event, and every major public event in the Luberon seems to be advertised by posters plastered absolutely everywhere in the area.
We made our way through the crowd (!) to the small village square at the end of the paved road, and I took my pictures. We turned around, drove through the crowd again, and followed the long, twisty road back to civilization.
We still don’t know why all those people were in Sivergues tonight. But here in this tiny, ancient village founded by six nuns in the 5th century, it was exciting to see something special happening on this Saturday evening 1500 years later.
The tiny church in Sivergues - "Fin de la Route"
