Lardiers

Towns and Villages - by Provence Beyond

Villages > Lardiers      

 | Apt 60 km | Banon 12 km | Digne-les-Bains 56 km | Forcalquier 18 km | Gap 93 km | l' Hospitalet 5 km | Manosque 41 km | Saint Etienne-les-Orgues 11 km | Sault 41 km | Sigonce 23 km | Sisteron 44 km |

Below: | History | Hiking | Dining | Lodging Hotels |

It's a good place to enjoy the calm and absorb the fragrance of Provence; lavander fields grow at the edges of the village itself [photo-2].

There isn't much for sightseeing in the village, but the picturesque covered lavoir at the edge of the village [photo-3] is nice, and has a long wooden beam for hanging clothes while washing [photo-4].

The central "place" has the Café de la Lavande, a seemingly typical Provencal café [photo-5]. This café, though, is a jewel. If you like fine dining, you'll be very pleasantly surprised, and if you like fine wines, you'll be astounded.

Beside the D12 road about a km north of the village is the remains of a rectangular dry-stone house, very much in the style of the bories, but not round and it obviously didn't have the pointed stone roof.

History

From the 13th century, Lardier belonged to the Hospitaliers de St-Jean-de-Jerusalem, who received the Chevaliers de Malta. It was the Chevaliers de Malta who built the church. In 1471, the village was uninhabited.

Hiking

Maps:

IGN (1/25,000) #3341 OT "Montagne de Lure, Les Mees, Chateau-Arnoux"

Didier Richard (1/50,000) #28 "Montagne de Lure, Val de Durance"

Lardiers is on a Grande Randonnée that makes a long tour of the Lure mountains, called "GR de Paye tour de la Montagne de Lure" (TdL).
To the north, the TdL GR goes up the valley and through the hills to the village of l'Hospitalet, and then up to the Col St Vincent (1287 m)
To the east, the TdL GR goes across the forested hills, with very little climbing, to St Etienne-les-Orgues.
To the south, another branch of the TdL GR passes near Ongles and eventually joins with the GR6 west of Limans.

Dining

Lardiers is a great place to plan your lunch stop, but the little café de la Lavande is popular so be sure to reserve. The café is one of the regional "Bistros de Pays", a selection of places that stand out for their food, their wine, or simply for their warm welcome.

Café de la Lavande

Location: Place de la Mairie

Closed: Mon; 15-25 Nov

Tel: 0492 733 152

A "bistro de Pays", and a place where hikers meet. The 90 F menu is unique and the same for all, varying according to the local market. House wine is Cote-du-Rhone village, 29 F for 50 cl. (18 km north of Forcalquier; west of St-Etienne-les-Orgues) This seems a typical Provencal café, with bar and a few tables. The giveaway is the white linen tablecloths and the large selection of wines on the shelf at the end of the bar. We had a choice of daube or lapin à la moutarde; starters were four separate dishines, including ratatouille and an oven-baked brandade de morue. The meal finishes with fruit and some irresistable pastries. Our meal for two, with bottled water, wine and coffee was 255 F.

Lodging - Hotels

Lodging nearby in St Etienne-les-Orgues and Forcalquier.

Hotels in Towns Nearby to Lardiers

• 11 km — Saint Etienne-les-Orgues hotels

• 18 km — Forcalquier hotels

• 41 km — Manosque hotels

• 44 km — Sisteron hotels