Vauvenargues, France

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5mi east of Aix, above the river which supplies into the reservoir, lies the village of Vauvenargues, known for the abundance of game and wildlife in the surrounding countryside. The pretty village church dates from the 12th and 16th C., and the Renaissance palace, where Luc de Clapiers, Marquis de Vauvenargues, wrote his famous 18th C. philosophical maxims, was purchased by Picasso in 1958. Picasso and Jacqueline Roque, his second wife, are buried in the park.

Today the palace is owned by the daughter of Jacqueline Roque and is not open to visitors. Jacqueline wanted to instal a Picasso Museum here, but the local authorities would not allow it, for fear that the little village and quiet valley would be spoiled by hordes of artists and other visitors.