Lacoste. A Village Sold Out

A must-have for every Instagram feed

Even though I usually aim to show only the real life in Provence, I’m currently visiting all the well-known tourist villages in the Luberon and sharing them on Instagram. I simply want to know what I’m talking about and have seen each of these places for myself. Most of them are truly beautiful but have little to do with authentic life here – they feel more like dreamlike backdrops for the perfect South of France holiday. One village I recently visited fits this description particularly well: LACOSTE.

I visited Lacoste on a sunny day and was instantly captivated by its beauty: a small village clinging to the hillside, full of picturesque alleyways and the typical stone houses. At the very top sits an old castle, once home to the infamous Marquis de Sade. I had lunch on a dreamy terrace with breathtaking views – it was simply magical.

But little by little, I started to feel a bit uneasy. Of course, most villages like Gordes, Ménerbes, and Lourmarin are very well maintained, but Lacoste was truly on another level: perfectly preserved and restored. And a cleanliness that, according to cliché, would surely delight every order-loving German.On top of that, Lacoste felt especially deserted. No locals, hardly any shops, not a trace of real, everyday life. Only a few art studios and galleries popped up here and there. While you often find this kind of atmosphere in other villages too, here it was extreme – it really felt like a film set.

The perfect village idyll

Back home, a bit of research quickly revealed the answer – or rather, a name: Pierre Cardin. But what does the world-famous, now late, fashion designer have to do with this tiny Luberon village? The story is simple: he fulfilled here the dream of a wealthy, capricious old man – and didn’t come across as particularly sympathetic in the process.

When he bought the castle in 2001, the roughly 400 inhabitants – a mix of long-time locals and artists or outsiders who had moved there since the mid-20th century – were initially delighted that someone was finally taking care of the crumbling ruins. But gradually it became clear that Cardin had bigger plans: he went on to buy more and more houses until he owned a large part of the village. Money was no object for him; he often paid up to three times the market value, putting pressure on residents who, even if initially unwilling to sell, eventually gave in. Admittedly, he restored the houses with great taste – but his promise to turn Lacoste into a cultural center was never fulfilled. The houses remained empty. Cardin stubbornly refused to allow anyone to move in or to accept any alternative uses for the properties. As a result, village life slowly but surely died out.

Luckily, there is a glimmer of hope for the roughly 50 houses Cardin once owned. Since 1970, an American art school has been based in Lacoste, and in recent years it has managed to acquire some of Cardin’s former properties (about 20 of them). Today, the school houses its students there and supports various art projects.

Perfectly restored alleyways

What a story! It’s told in more detail in the documentary “Cyril contre Goliath” by Cyril Montana, who spent his childhood in Lacoste and later tried – with only moderate success – to oppose Pierre Cardin’s influence.The film features interviews with the stubborn old designer, and I have to say, I found them deeply unsettling. With unbelievable arrogance, Cardin speaks about the villagers, whom he viewed as uneducated. He saw himself as a kind of benefactor, bringing culture and refinement to the village. In doing so, he completely overlooked the fact that Lacoste had already been a magnet for artists and intellectuals for decades. Names like Max Ernst, Man Ray, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and many others are closely tied to this place.

I’m curious to see if and how Lacoste will continue to evolve. In any case, this story left me thoughtful: it shows how, today, money can truly buy everything – and how power and influence are not necessarily exercised with wisdom, but can leave entire communities at the mercy of a single wealthy individual’s whims.

The "Café de France" terrace