Hiking and Culture Works by British sculptor Andy Goldsworthy, known for creating outdoor installations from natural materials found nearby, form part of a new 150km “art” hiking route which stretches across the north of our region. Named the Refuge d’Art, in the Unesco Geopark reserve in collaboration with the Gassendi Museum …

Exploring the Alpilles Established in 2007, the Parc Naturel Régional des Alpilles is a relatively new park. However, the mountain range itself is the result of millennia of continuous geological evolution. Artifacts from human settlements found in these hills date back to the Neolithic era. The Alpilles (small Alps) is a …

Hiking in Provence The idea for this hike came from a friend at the International Hiking Group of Provence. The two needed to find a short hike not too far from the house so they would have enough time to get the car to the mechanic. Nutmeg consulted her “Must …

The massif looks like a fortified stone ridge or a sharp triangle pointing to the sky, depending on how you approach Mont Sainte-Victoire. Regardless of the time of day or season, the only certainty is that the mountain, located on the outskirts of Aix-en-Provence, never looks the same twice. Artists …

For all our time spent in Provence, I’m embarrassed to admit that we had never been to les Gorges du Verdon. And it’s not far from Lourmarin, only about an hour and a half, in the hills of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. We’d heard it was worth a visit, but what …

Perched on hilltops throughout the region, the castles of Provence are intriguing. These seemingly impenetrable fortresses have stone foundations and ramparts for defensive purposes. Reflective of turbulent periods in French history, many of the châteaux in southern France were built on summits maximising the ability to anticipate enemy approach. Today, …

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They fell in love with the South of France, although apparently not at first sight. It took 20 visits to Provence before Keith, and Val Van Sickle decided to make the region their part-time home. The couple’s home is near San Francisco in California’s Silicon Valley. However, a contract assignment …

Cotignac in Provence’s Var Susana Iwase Hanson is the founder of Provence Living Cotignac, after living on several continents, she and her husband discovered Cotignac, a quiet village in the Var, a decade ago (read her interesting backstory). Cotignac’s residents enjoy the benefits of living in the Provencal countryside with the …

One of my summer highlights is the chance to catch up with author Patricia Sands during her annual visit to Provence. Sands is a remarkable person. She is a wife, mother, grandmother, writer, photographer and a possiblitarian. Yes, for Patricia Sands, it is possible to achieve anything in life if …