Discovering a relict population of Hermann's turtles

Renaud Lugagne is passionate about old stones and literature. A former real estate professional, he fell in love with the Villa du Plantier, acquired it in 2005 and set about preserving this heritage and recognizing its value in terms of the house, its grounds and its literary collection.

The house had already been partially listed as a historical monument since 1976, but we have had major work done under the supervision of the Bâtiments de France to renovate it and restore it as the Baroness de Prailly had imagined it.

Thanks to the family's investment in this project, in 2009, the park was awarded the label "Jardin remarquable" and since 2017, the Plantier de Costebelle has been awarded the label "Maisons des Illustres" and is a member of the Federation of Writers' Houses and Literary Heritage.

Today Renaud Lugagne continues to complete the Paul Bourget collection "in order to be able to deposit it later at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France". In the meantime, the Plantier de Costebelle makes available manuscripts, autographs, corrected proofs and correspondence concerning the writer.

We welcome researchers in literature who wish to consult the collection to feed their work" explains with pride Renaud Lugagne who gives conferences at the Sorbonne on the subject. "And this literary activity of Le Plantier leads to scientific publications.

I love to present the environment, the species, its history... There is a lot of exchange with the visitors, I adapt to them, because the main thing in this approach is to make them aware of the protection of Hermann's Tortoise, an emblematic wild species today in a critical state in France.

As far as his memory goes back, Albéric Lugagne has always been passionate about nature..

As a child, I spent my free time in gardens observing plants, insects and animals. Then I read a lot about fauna and flora, about the reasoned management of landscapes in Provence (from the cultivation of cork oak to traditional grazing).

Today a management consultant - his other vocation - in Paris, this young man from Marseilles has not given up his passion... Especially since the discovery of a population of this endangered species in the Plantier de Costebelle was a revelation.

I was 13 years old when my family acquired the domain, I discovered a wild site, preserved, with cork oaks... and turtles. Today, this property is very important to me. I can give free rein to my passion. It is my garden, my haven, I go there as soon as I can!

But it's a passion that he wants to share, which is why he has chosen to open this private property to the public and to provide visits himself!