By aixcentric This summer’s big show at the Musee Granet comes to Aix straight from the Grand Palais in Paris. ‘American Icons’ will feature Andy Warhol, Alexandre Calder, Roy Lichtenstein, Chuck Close, Cy Twombly, Ellsworth Kelly amongst 60 emblematic works from the SFMOMA and the Fisher collection (one of the …

By aixcentric There’s a lovely, fresh, Spring-like exhibition of Cécile Colombo’s work in Marseille at the moment. She is a Gemenos-based artist who uses tissue, fabric, bits of text, inks and paint to make colourful collages. It’s at Galerie Charivari, 7 rue Fontange, Marseille 6, near Notre Dame du Mont. …

By aixcentric Last summer, I posted about a trip taken down to Pointe-Rouge (Marseille), by navette from the Vieux Port, for lunch by the sea. You can read about “Marseille lunch pieds dans l’eau” here. It was a lovely excursion. Now I read that things are changing down there. The …

Last night, TF1 News reported the results of the best beach in Europe poll, and the award goes to Plage Notre Dame in Porquerolles. This is a 45-minute walk from the tiny port on the island and so, apparently, is rarely busy. Special gardiens are responsible for maintaining the Explore …

This Wednesday, April 15th, L’Art Glacier reopens after its winter break. This is a restaurant tucked away on a wooded hillside near Ansouis and is well-worth seeking out. It has a fabulous terrace which overlooks the Luberon and its ice-creams and sorbets must be the best ever! Explore the original …

By aixcentric Book quickly if you want to climb the stairs to Marseille’s Gare St Charles and hop on a train to London. Tickets are now on sale for the service which begins in May. During May and June, it will run on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays. During July and …

By aixcentric You might like to mark your diaries with two amazing experiences in early June: Paul McCartney playing Marseille and the flamboyant Groupe F illuminating the ancient Pont du Gard to celebrate its 30 years as a World Heritage site. Paul McCartney will be doing one concert at the …

By aixcentric Oh no Bateaux! …problems in port. Apparently the popular batobus, that runs from the Vieux Port down to Pointe-Rouge in one direction and up to L’Estaque in the other, is losing money big-time. It’s taken 1 million euros in ticket sales but has cost 3.6m euros to operate. …

Provence is a rich environment for writers. Peter Mayle sparked a trend for books about Provence, but it’s fun to read fiction set locally. Mary Lou Longworth has penned a series of crime novels based in and around Aix. Starting with ‘Death at the Chateau Bremont’, she Explore this post. …

By aixcentric Arriving in Cassis by boat must be blissful. But if you need to park, read on. As a follow-up to previous posts on Cassis, help with parking is at hand in that the park and ride service will start again in April. Look for Parking Relais des Gorguettes …