A trip to Avignon with Ruinart Champagne & a stay at La Mirande
I think I have already wax lyrical-ed (if I can say that?) about this in my Biarritz post here, but I will reiterate it… I cannot tell you how good it feels to be able to travel again, albeit even if I don’t leave the country. It's done wonders for my wellbeing, inspiration and all over creativity. I spend a lot of time in my apartment, which is great, but it can become quite monotonous… so I’ve been craving a change of scenery and luckily France has so many beautiful towns, villages and corners to explore.
A couple of weeks ago I was invited to Avignon in the south of France with the champagne brand Ruinart to enjoy a culinary experience created by the head chef at the incredible La Mirande hotel, Florent Pietravalle. The event was to celebrate their collaboration ‘Unconventional Bubbles’ and exhibition (at the Collection Lambert in Avignon) with British artist David Shrigley, who is currently the champagne maison’s artist in residence. We visited the exhibition, enjoyed an apèro in the hotel’s cellar with sommelier, Cyrille Raymond and then dined on a fabulous meal in a private room. Each course was paired with a different Ruinart champagne, so I really felt that I was travelling through the maison’s champagne cellars!
The experience married all of my favourite things - art, champagne, travel, amazing food, sunshine and beautiful interiors courtesy of La Mirande, a five star, opulently decorated luxury hotel with a fascinating rich history, which began life as a palace and dates back to the 14th century. So here’s a bit of history… It was built by Cardinal de Pellegrue, whose uncle, Clement V was Pope during this time. Pellegrue constructed the building as a “livrée”, as cardinals’ palaces were called then and in the privileged location opposite the Popes’ Palace.
In 1653 the building’s remains were sold to the lawyer, Claude de Vervins. Upon his death, his son Pierre, marquis de Bédouin, built the classical façade that exists today. It is an architectural statement of a nobleman’s residence in town or “hotel particulier” as they are called in French. It was designed by the architect Pierre Mignard, son and nephew of Nicolas and Pierre Mignard, painters to King Louis XIV. The building was named “L’hôtel de Vervin” and was the residence of the descendants of Pierre de Vervins until 1796, when it was sold to Jean-Baptiste Bénézet-Pamard, an officer of health. Renamed as the “Hôtel Pamard”, it remained the property of a prominent Avignon family for two centuries. One family member even became Lord Mayor and altered the town according to the precepts applied to Paris by Baron Haussmann in the latter half of the 19th century.
In 1987 it was bought by the Steins family, beautifully restored remaining faithful to and as a tribute to its heritage and turned into the hotel, La Mirande. It is by far one of the most beautiful hotels I’ve stayed in. The rooms are thoughtfully decorated in keeping with the building’s history and the rest of the interiors are equally as rich in fabric, tapestries and art. It’s a true experience to stay there.
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