NOTE: Because of the narrow streets in the medieval-era vieux village where Mas Mont Ventoux is situated, JUST FRANCE suggests that clients do not rent vans or full-sized cars for their visit to this property.

Mas Mont Ventoux is an exceptional house, invariably appreciated by clients of Just France fortunate enough to spend a restful vacation there among its old stone walls and shady garden. The mas is named after majestic Mont Ventoux, which lies about a half-hour to the east and, at 1,909m (6,263 ft.), is the high peak in the Vaucluse.

Vaison-la-Romaine has been justifiably popularized by the American food critic and writer, Patricia Wells, whose nearby house is pictured in her excellent cookbook, The Food Lover's Guide to France. Vaison is a thoroughly engaging town, with excavations of Roman baths and patrician dwellings and a theater dating back to the first century BC to prove its ancient origins. Vaison is equally famed for its open-air market, which opens with regular precision at 8 o'clock every Tuesday morning, and is one of the largest, liveliest and most colorful in all of Provence, in some ways surpassing that of its better-known neighbor to the south, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. Mas Mont Ventoux's location in the old part of Vaison-la-Romaine, on a hillside rising from the south bank of the Ouvèze, is ideal in that it is within moments of Vaison yet removed from the busy commercial life of the town.

One reason Mas Mont Ventoux is so well liked is that it incorporates many features that rank high on our clients' typical checklist of desirable qualities for a villa in Provence. It is rare to find so many of these combined in one property.

For example, those who like old Provençal architecture will appreciate the fact that Mas Mont Ventoux iis a vintage property in built in typical Provençal style. Others who appreciate old-world charm but only when it is mixed with modern comforts will like its modern kitchen and fine marble bathrooms. Those who hate to get in a car every time they need a baguette or ripe red tomato will like the village environment and immediate proximity to a bakery, grocery store, café and basic shops. Those who love beautiful scenery will be inspired by the fabulous views, in this case overlooking the town of Vaison-la-Romaine, the Ouvèze River and surrounding hillsides.

The mas also offers considerable flexibility for parties of different sizes. The house can be enjoyed by two or three people, while a family or group of couples will feel comfortable in its four bedrooms (with foldaway beds the house can sleep up to11 persons). Husbands and wives alike will be relieved to know that each of the bedrooms has a full ensuite bathroom with a commodious bathtub and wall-mounted or hand-held shower. For mothers the grounds are enclosed so that small children may play safely within the confines of the property. The 4 m X 9.5 m (13' X 31') pool has a motorized metal cover for the protection of children and to retain heat. There is also an electrical pool heater that can be activated at extra cost to bring the pool to the precise temperature desired.

And for perhaps the most important group of all - oenophiles yearning to taste the robust reds and lush white wines of the region - there is Châteauneuf-du-Pape to the east, the Northern Rhône (Hermitage, St.-Joseph, Cornas, etc.) to the north and, within minutes to the south, the sprawling, sun-baked vineyards of the Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages region with its rich, plummy reds from the communes of Gigondas, Sablet, Vacqyeyras and Séguret.

Mas Mont Ventoux traces its origins back to around the early 17th century. The rooms are spread out over three levels, all of them connected by stone staircases with railings of braided rope. The principal entrance is from the garden into a large foyer with a powder room on one side. Also opening off the foyer is a modern and well-equipped kitchen with a four-burner stove, two ovens, two-door refrigerator (a second one is in the pantry), dishwasher and a variety of countertop appliances. The walls are of original stone, the counters and backsplashes of green tile, and there is eating space for two. A washing machine and separate tumble dryer are in a laundry room upstairs.

In entering the house one passes through the garden and across a large terrace, where guests usually dine during the warm months. The terrace lies just outside the dining room and has a view toward Vaison-la-Romaine.

The dining room is a warm and handsomely furnished room with a heavy wood table for up to eight persons. The room receives abundant sunlight from glass doors that open onto the terrace, and from large windows that overlook the valley and the town of Vaison.

Up three steps from the dining room is the living room, a large, rectangular space with windows overlooking the town and swimming pool. The ceilings are beamed and the floors of white stone overlaid with oriental throw rugs. The furnishings are primarily antiques, and with its massive stone fireplace the room has a baronial ambiance.

Two stone staircases, one in an impressive spiral design, lead to the upper floors and the bedrooms. On the first upper level is the master bedroom suite, which has a terra cotta tile floor, a queen-sized bed, and deep closets on either side of the bed. One end of the suite opens onto a large terrace with an exceptional view over the pool and north toward Vaison.

The bathroom for the master suite, like the other three ensuite bathrooms in the mas, is spacious, is done entirely in marble and has a commodious tub. The master bath has a wall-mounted shower, while the other bathrooms have hand-held showers.

Also on the second level is a twin-bedded room with terra cotta tile floors and a large closet. This room overlooks the little lane (mostly pedestrian traffic) that leads to the house, and from the window one can hear the soft murmur of voices and steps of passing villagers.

On the uppermost level are two more bedrooms, each with twin beds, terra cotta tile floors and beamed ceilings. One looks north toward Vaison, and the second overlooks the garden.

Mas Mont Ventoux is on a hillside, and for this reason the garden is terraced to different levels. The upper garden has shade trees and a few small grassy areas. A stone path leads down to the pool. At one point the path widens to a lovely shady area with a stone bench overlooking the pool.

Mas Mont Ventoux has a good central heating system, and with its huge living room fireplace and comfortable furnishings is as cozy and warm in the winter as it is breezy and bright in the summer. And Vaison-la-Romaine, with its beautifully displayed Roman ruins, interesting shops and wonderful Tuesday morning market, is a pleasure at any time of the year.

NOTE: Mas Mont Ventoux is in the vieux village of Vaison-la-Romaine, which dates back to the 12th century. The streets are narrow and motor traffic is discouraged. After initially delivering their luggage to the property guests will generally find it more convenient to leave their car in a nearby parking area and walk about 70m (about 75 yards) to the house.