Who is Alfred Lombard? I wondered as I visited the Musée Regards de Provence in Marseille this week. It’s a special experience here in the south of France to discover painters, often local, mainly little-known, who turns out to be quite thrilling. And Alfred Lombard is one such. He had …

By aixcentric I have read about ice-bars but never had the experience of pulling on a fleece cape and entering a -10C ice-cave complete with stalactites and ice chandeliers to enjoy a shot of freezing vodka out of an ice-glass. If this appeals, you have the chance to do this …

By aixcentric A couple of years ago, I met Tasha, a Californian foodie at my painting class. She was doing a stage at a gourmet restaurant in Lourmarin, loving it and loving Provence. Since going home to Manhattan Beach, she has been working as a food stylist and is facilitating …

By aixcentric Another great idea. An aquarium for Marseille to be built beside and in the sea, perhaps on the J1 site. The Marseille Aquarium should be as stunning as the Blue Planet in Copenhagen This has been proposed by the town authorities. The project is being headed by Gérard …

By aixcentric The French press and TV have announced the opening this month of a replica cave, which reproduces the 1000 examples of Stone Age paintings to be found in the nearby Chauvet cave in the Ardeche. The original drawings were done 36,000 years ago and were preserved by Explore …

By aixcentric At last! The work on the Hotel Caumont is done and the grand opening is on May 6th. The 300-year old building will make a fabulous venue for exhibiting 17-19th century art; the first expo is Canaletto, Rome, Londres, Venise. Plus, you can visit a recreation of Pauline …

By aixcentric The new show at MUCEM is called ‘Lieux Saints Partagés’ and focuses on the sites where Christianity, Islam and Judaism all find commonality for place of worship. It’s not just Jerusalem – the exhibition takes in other places, even Marseille where, it says, Explore this Post Via:: Aixcentric …

By aixcentric If you like photographing Provence, here are details of a major competition being run at the airport – and, who knows, you could be one of those chosen to have their work displayed in grand format to greet visitors this summer. The theme is Provence from an economic, …

By aixcentric The Rasa International Music Academy which opened its doors in the autumn is now reaching out to local adults who like to sing. Their Rock/Pop choir for ladies is on Mondays and there’s a mixed session on Friday afternoons both held at private homes at Luynes and Cabries. …

By aixcentric This was what was on offer in Bergen when we visited a couple of years ago and I found it horrifying. I suppose logically it’s no different to a tuna sarnie but there’s something so majestic and mysterious about whales that makes turning them into toasties so much …