When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in .

You've reached your limit of one free article.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime .

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Exclusive International news coverage

Ad-free experience NEW

Weekly digital Magazine NEW

9 daily & weekly Newsletters

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Free trial

30-days free access, then $2.90
per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
InterNations
food / travel

Museum-Worthy Art Planted In Vineyards In The South Of France

Art at Chateau Lacoste
Art at Chateau Lacoste
Michel Guerrin

AIX-EN-PROVENCE — Here, the vineyard traces the pathways of art. It usually is the other way around, whereby a well-known vineyard expands its activities (rooms for rent, a restaurant, exhibitions) to attract more wine buyers. But at Château La Coste, 15 kilometers from Aix-en-Provence in southeastern France, the cultural offer is so rich that people sometimes come just for that. The good news is that the wines are are often still extraordinary.

At La Coste, visitors can spend two hours, four hours, or even a whole day; you can lunch and dine outdoors, have some tea, lie on the grass under the stars and watch a Woody Allen or Coen Brothers' movie; attend a concert or a lecture; buy books; wander in the vegetable garden or explore the wine cellar; see buildings designed by famous architects and numerous works of art. As of last December, you can even spend the night in sumptuous villas. Hang around, the place encourages it. Château La Coste is a magnificent site that enjoys 300 days of sunshine a year.

At the center of the property is a long, stripped-down building designed by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando. It is surrounded by an artificial lake, with a three-meter wide spider that seems to be dancing before your eyes: it was sculpted by the legendary Louise Bourgeois. There is also a black, yellow and red mobile by Alexander Calder.

The vineyard occupies about half of the 123-hectare Château La Coste estate. Most of the art and architecture promenade takes place on a hill covered in downy oak. The cost for visitors is 15 euros, and picnicking is strictly forbidden. "The artists don't like it," says one member of the Château staff.

Attracted by all that is perfect.

Starting with the bridge built by Larry Neufeld, cross over a large void, then sink into a dark lair, enter strange buildings, discover imposing sculptures, come upon golden wolves, retrace your steps when you take a wrong turn. You need to accept getting lost to see the works of world-renowned artists such as Bourgeois and Calder, as well as Richard Serra, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Sean Scully, Lee Ufan, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Tracey Emin and others. Not all of them are represented by major sculptures, but their works fit in well with the landscape.

Finally, art is also in the wine. Though Château La Coste is a recent project, wine has been produced here since 200 BC, first by the Greeks, then the Romans, then monks and Provençal counts. The site is now owned by a discreet Irish businessman, Patrick McKillen, who bought it in 2004 after making a fortune in real estate. McKillen, a friend of U2 singer Bono, also co-owns some London hotels like Claridge's, The Connaught and The Berkeley.

Mathieu Cosse, who was recruited in 2006 to make state-of-the-art wine at La Coste, says McKillen "is attracted by everything that's perfect," to explain his multiple investments. "Art and wine elevate one another," says Cosse. "We don't do tourism first or wine first or art first. It's a project that embraces it all. And it's unique in France."

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Society

For Seniors, Friendship May Be More Important Than Family

Even if the aging and elderly tend to wind up confined to family circles, Argentine academics Laura Belli and Danila Suárez explore the often untapped benefits of friendship in our later years.

Photograph of two elderly women and an elderly man walking arm in arm. Behind the, there are adverts for famous football players.

Two elderly women and a man walk arm in arm

Philippe Leone/Unsplash
Laura F. Belli and Danila Suárez Tomé

Updated Dec. 10, 2023 at 10:10 p.m.

BUENOS AIRES — What kind of friendship do people most talk about? Most often it is childhood or teenage friendships, while friendships between men and women are repeatedly analyzed. What about friendships among the elderly? How are they affected when friends disappear, at a stage when grieving is already more frequent?

Argentines Laura Belli and Danila Suárez Tomé, two friends with PhDs in philosophy, explore the challenges and benefits of friendship in their book Filosofía de la amistad (Friendship Philosophy).

For the latest news & views from every corner of the world, Worldcrunch Today is the only truly international newsletter. Sign up here.

They consider how friendships can emerge later in life, in profoundly altered circumstances from those of our youth, with people living through events like retirement, widowhood, reduced autonomy or to a greater or lesser degree, personal deterioration. All these can affect older people's ability to form and keep friendships, even if changes happen at any stage in life.

Filosofía de la amistadexplores the place of friendships amid daunting changes. These are not just the result of ageing itself but also of how one is perceived, nor will they affect everyone exactly the same way. Aging has firstly become a far more diverse experience, with increasing lifespans and better healthcare everywhere, and despite an inevitable restriction in life opportunities, a good many seniors enjoy far greater freedom and life choices than before.

Keep reading...Show less

The latest