28 votesOwners of the deluxe farm estate Le Mas de Peint in Camargue, Jacques Bon and his wife Lucille developed 1,200 acres of land and turned it into a pristine nature resort that includes an elegant guesthouse and gourmet restaurant as well as agricultural and cattle operations. Mr. Jacques Bon who is also a respected “Manadier,” raises wild long horn bulls for the Camarguaise arena game “Course a la Cocarde.” Mrs. Lucille Bon is an architect and designer who helped conceptualize and decorate the rooms, salons, and interiors of the estate.
With his extensive knowledge of farming and a passion for land and livestock, Jacques Bon earned his way in life through sheer hard work. At the age of 15, Bon left school and learned the farming trade, working side-by-side with his father who farmed on the leased lands of the Mas de Peint, then owned by the wealthy Blain Family. At the age of 25, Jacques Bon negotiated and purchased the land and became the landowner of Mas de Peint. Under his management, the estate prospered and in the next 27 years Bon became one of the largest proprietors of cattle and sheep in Provence.
In 1979, Bon sold most of his 14,000 sheep and purchased the historical Chateaux des Alpilles in Saint Remy de Provence, the Blain family’s main residence where they entertained top literary and political personalities in France during the 19th century. Shortly after the purchase, Bon and his first wife Francoise called it quits and Bon left the estate to his first wife and two children and returned to the Mas de Peint. In 1983, he married Lucille, the architect who helped him develop the Chateau. Together, they renovated the farm in Mas de Peint and opened their doors to the public in 1994.
Today, Le Mas de Peint has built a reputation among critics and gourmands as a hidden gem tucked away in Arles, France.
