IMAGINE yourself in a vibrant and authentic French perched village removed from the tourist rush. You’ll love Claviers, a village of 600 colorful French, Danish, Dutch, British and American residents, in the heart of Provence, with breathtaking territorial views in all directions – bucolic landscapes of forest, olive groves, vineyards, and the perched villages of Bargemon, Callas, and St. Paul-en-Forêt.

Claviers is a medieval village, with landmarks dating back before the 1200’s. Here, you enjoy the good life of an authentic community unspoiled by tourism. We have an open-air market twice a week for fresh produce, flowers, and meats and cheeses. There is a boulangerie in the village (of course), a post office, cafés and two restaurants.

You will be renting our own home, where we spend one-third of our year. We furnished and equipped our home to meet our own high standards for comfort, and convenience, but all this pride benefits our guests as well.

Our home is a fully restored 700 year-old stone village house with beamed ceilings and tiled floors. There are three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom (two with showers, one with a large tub.) We furnished the house with family keepsakes so the decor is eclectic but truly authentic. There's a table from Laurence's great-grandfather's cafe, a dining set from an uncle's country home, fully refinished baby grand piano (I’m a pianist), 600 yr-old wine barrels in our wine cellar, etc. But, at the same time, we have provided wireless broadband Internet and a fax machine so you need not be out of touch with necessities back home.

At the entry level is a fully equipped gourmet kitchen, with a heavy movable butcher-block table, vitro-ceramic cooktop, oven, microwave, and dishwasher. The kitchen table and chairs were used in my wife's great-grandfather's café in Lorraine.

The kitchen is tiled in the traditional Provence colors of blue and yellow using unique “patina” tiles fabricated in Salernes. Tiles from Salernes are known for their beauty and color depth of their glazes.

Two steps up, just off the kitchen, is a dining room with a raw marble tile floor, stone walls, a large farm style 6-foot heavy oak table and benches, and a lovingly restored 1919 Gaveau baby-grand piano.

Up one floor is the master bedroom and bathroom. This bedroom contains an American king-size bed built by a local artisan in the village (you can meet him at the café and buy him a beer). There's a fireplace, an antique armoire and chest of drawers. Naturally, linens are provided. The bathroom has a mélange of handcrafted tiles of green, blue, violet hues, also made in Salernes. The ceramic washbasin is set into a counter of enameled lava-rock.

The next level up is the second bedroom, equipped with an antique queen-size bed. (My mother-in-law was born in this bed.) There's a bathroom with a large tub. Check out the view from the bedroom!

Climb the stairs again and you come to a sitting room with a luxurious leather sofa and armchairs. There's a wonderful stereo, television, desk, wireless Internet router, fax machine, and telephone. Most guests do their computer work from this perch, though the view is distracting. With the wireless, you can do your work anywhere else in the house or on the open-air terrace. The room also contains a wet bar with sink and refrigerator conveniently close to the rooftop terrace.

A steep staircase leads up from the sitting room to a tiled terrace with a stunning 180-degree view. In fact, there are territorial views from the upper three floors. The terrace has a mosaic café table by André Sortino and tall barstools to accentuate the view.

Last, but definitely not least, is the "cave", a daylight basement carved into the stone foundation upon which the village stands. The cave is actually three rooms all tiled with a rose-white raw marble – a wine cellar with two large oak barrels built right there in the 1400’s, a bedroom with coved rugged stone walls and a bathroom with shower. That suite of rooms is impressively medieval, and yet comfortable and cozy. A full-size washer and dryer occupy a cove inside the bathroom.

The rental price includes utilities, linens, cookware, taxes, etc. There are no additional charges, no damage deposit. Though you probably won't need heat, there are electric heaters in each room.

The living room has an impressive library of local travel books, hiking guides, maps, and a guest register so you can share your discoveries with scores of our guests, most of whom return to the home every couple of years. My delightful father-in-law, Roger Raybois, will be your host. He will meet you in Claviers to give you the keys, and provide further information you may require. He is available if you have any problems or concerns. Low season (January through May costs 604 €/week, (about $885) and the high season costs 740€/week (about $1085). There is a charge of 34 €/week ($50) for each additional adult or teenager.