The Paul Cézanne statue at the Rotonde in Aix is the work of Dutch sculptor Gabriël Sterk who not only produced it but also organized its funding: when I interviewed him at the time, he explained that he had recently moved to the town and couldn’t understand why there was …

The wonderfully creative Arlésien designer Christian Lacroix has been given free rein to choose items from the museums of Avignon for ‘Mirabilis’, the summer show. And ‘marvellous’ it surely will be: visitors can see 350 to 400 works, documents and collections, from prehistory to ethnic collections to modern art, in unusual groupings …

Marseille is the oldest town in France, so when you walk along by the Vieux Port, you are following in the footsteps of Greek fishermen, shopkeepers, sailors and traders who established their colony in 600 BC.  They, and the Romans who arrived later have left traces that emerge so often …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: ‘BACK TO THE FUTURE’ is the theme for the 49th Rencontres d’Arles photography exhibition. ‘This year, you are invited to cross space and time with a breathtaking, celestial journey across the ages. Photography is often the best-placed medium for registering all the shocks that remind us the …

Did you know Marseille has France’s oldest quincaillerie or hardware shop? It really is a must-visit if you are interested in traditional Provencal life. Take the magnificent big hand-graters for instance – just the sort of gadget used in café kitchens many years ago for churning out carrots and cabbage …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Some days ago, I read this comment on Aixcentric: “In your very comprehensive survey of Aix restaurants, I couldn’t find any mention of House of Cookies, rue Boulegon (but maybe it’s just my mistake!) It’s a lovely place, American vintage-oriented, and the owner, Laetitia, makes the …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: The Office du Tourisme at Gardanne is offering a day-trip to Monaco on Saturday 19th May.  It’s an early start, 7:15, but then it’s quite a drive.  Once there, there’s an organised trip round the Musée Océanographique and also the Palais Princier, followed by free time. 86 …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: The new fraises garriguettes have arrived in Aix and my goodness are they good! Some years ago, La Provence published a recipe for a tiramisu with raspberries but I’ve found strawberries are just as delicious, and this is now a firm favourite. Tiramisu aux Fraises Ingredients: …

Visitors to Marseille will soon be able to whisk from the Vieux Port up to Notre Dame de la Garde by cable car in just six minutes. The contract has been won by Systra, part of SNCF, who will start work in October. It’s expected that 2 million people a …

Having just returned to Aix after some weeks away, my second shock (after seeing the excavations in front of the Palais de Justice being filled in – inevitable I know) was to see the gaps in the Cours Mirabeau where plane trees had been. I had read about the ‘chancre …