• Director(s):

    DESPIAU (Mathieu)

  • Producer(s):

    Bo Travail !, ARTE FRANCE

  • Territories:

    Worldwide.

  • Production year:

    2018

  • Language(s):

    German, French

  • Rights:

    TV, DVD, NON-THEATRICAL, INTERNET, VOD

In Villeneuve-les-Avignon, the Saint Andre fort and abbey overlook the Rhone valley. The two hectares of lavish terraced gardens feature a breathtaking view on Provence.

The gardens were cultivated by Benedictine monks for 700 years then abandoned when the French Revolution started. The domain was then bought back by Gustave Fayet – who fell in love with the exceptional view – and Elsa Koeberlé – a young poetess to whom he devoted an unwavering friendship. He acquired the estate in 1916 and offered its full enjoyment to his friend Elsa and his wife Genia Lioubo. Rehabilitating the place became the two women’s daunting task…
To the south, the Italian garden sprawls around a rose and cotton lavender flowerbed fanning out with two garden ponds adjoining a pergola. In the Mediterranean garden, we discover the remains of the Saint-Andre church, the tombs of the ancient necropolis and vestiges of the Saint-Martin church.