Neptune Papers Issue Nine – La Cavalerie by David William Baum

Neptune Papers is an independent interiors and lifestyle publication based in Paris.

In this issue:

La Cavalerie, the Provençal family estate of the late couturier Emanuel Ungaro is now cared by his daughter Cosima Ungaro and her husband Austin Feilders. They have transformed the domain into a luxurious hospitality project and artisanal olive oil production.

Ungaro was born to humble beginnings in a family of tailors who fled the Fascist regime in Italy for Aix-en-Provence in the 1920s and would ascend to become one of the defining designers of his generation before his passing in 2019, aged 86. After learning his craft under the tutelage of Cristóbal Balenciaga and André Courrèges, he set up his own label in 1965 where he would go on to dress the likes of Jacqueline Kennedy and Deeda Blair in his signature blend of romantic prints and sensual dresses before retiring from fashion in 2005.

But Ungaro never forgot his Provençal roots. For years he searched for a country retreat from Paris, somewhere between Aix-en-Provence and Tuscany when he came upon La Cavalerie, a 65-hectare estate in the foothills of the Luberon mountains. The property, which dates back to the 12th century, had been through many incarnations: from a Commanderie for the Knights Templar in 1176, complete with its own chapel to conversion to a monastery in the 18th century and an orphanage thereafter. The estate had been abandoned and in a state of disrepair when Emanuel purchased it in 1986. Over the next half-decade, he proceeded to restore the property working with local stonemasons, painters and architects to transform it into his own private “Maison de Liberté” that he and his family would escape to every summer. “This place changed my father,” recalls Cosima.

“We are stewards of this place,” says Austin. “We wanted to transform the place into something where people can feel a sense of growth, refuge and to feel anew.”

This Issue also features: Adrien Chenel, Aline Chastel, Amanda Brooks, André Balazs, Athena Calderone, Bruce Gagnie, Casalta, Cheska Vallois, Chris Wallace, Eli Zabar, Flora Byk, Flynn McGarry, François Halard, Gabriela Rosales, Giuseppe Ducrot, Golshifteh Farahani, Hope Atherton, Jamie Wyeth, Jennifer Vitagliano, Josh Smith, Julien Devergnies, La Cavalerie, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Michael Bargo, Nicolas Dreyfus, Nicole Vitagliano, Niki Rollof, Patrick Eugene, Patrick McGrath, Robert Wright, Romain Ginac, Zara Home and more!