Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Network Provence has been set up for local women to promote their businesses. I attended one of their meetings in Aix back in November and really enjoyed learning about activities being set up. There are so many women who find themselves in Provence and set …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: It’s the number of large cranes that give us a clue to the scale of the construction projects going on in Aix at the moment. Thirty projects are underway…Continue reading here for details on just ten of them including the building of a great new music venue, a …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Last autumn, it was announced that two mansions in centre ville were for sale. The town authorities wished to divest themselves of buildings which weren’t functional and cost too much to maintain. Now there is some progress to report on one. The Hotel de Valbelle, currently …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: The repaving of the area outside the tourist office has been completed and I was really hoping for something a bit more attractive and tourist-friendly – some benches for instance wouldn’t go amiss. And why has Cezanne just been plonked down on the ground? …Continue …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Aix centre-ville has been pretty much graffiti-free since Madame le Maire waged war on the taggers, paying a company to remove them within 48 hours. And she was surely right to do so as much of it was just a mess. But increasingly, resourceful shop-owners are …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: This doesn’t take place until June but, if you are into this kind of event, it might be worth putting on the calendar now. Dozens of planes will be converging on the Istres Air Base for this show which takes place every 5 years. There …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Here’s a recommendation for lunch which will take you right off the beaten track and far away from tourist groups. Don’t read on if you are looking for fine dining and sophistication. Chez-le-Garde won’t offer you that. But for me, it was a truly Provencal …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: The traditional cafes in the Cours Mirabeau rarely serve patisseries with their morning drinks… and I never have the nerve to produce one out of a bag, which is what you can do in so many French villages. So I am often on the lookout for …

Contributor Blog Post By Aixcentric: ‘L’art d’apprendre le francais’ and ‘l’art de vivre en Provence’ are combined for those signing up for courses with Destination Francais. It’s an Aix-based company started by two French teachers, tired of the classroom-based teaching methods they’d been tied to in the traditional system. They …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: ‘Marie Georgette’ is tucked away in Aix’s Passage Agard, just off the Cours Mirabeau. It’s the creation of two brothers whose stated aim is to offer ‘specialities new-yorkaises et londoniennes’ adapted to French tastes and based on quality local ingredients. The menu has lots of creative …