Moustiers-Sainte-Marie is a picturesque village in the département Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, within the breathtaking Parc Naturel Régional du Verdon, whose headquarters are in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. It was our final stop on our exploration of Les Gorges du Verdon. Like Tourtour, Moustiers-Sainte-Marie is one of  Les Plus Beaux Villages de France  ~ the ‘Most …

Cucuron is a delightful southern Luberon village just a ten-minute drive from Lourmarin. Surrounded by rolling vineyards and olive groves, beloved for its charm and central ‘bassin, ‘Cucuron has become a favourite of movie makers. Several well-presented information boards share old photos and some of the local history throughout the …

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 …

Throughout the Luberon region, the landscape is peppered with fields of small, round-shaped lavender bushes, which for almost nine months of the year lie dormant like sleeping hedgehogs. In the spring, they begin to sprout, and from about the middle of June, their fragrant flowers bloom, fanning their purple fronds …

We departed Lourmarin just as winter had arrived, with Christmas around the corner. The trees were almost bare, only a few remnants of their golden autumn gown still clinging to the branches. Temperatures had fallen, especially when the Mistral blew her cruel, icy breath down the Rhône Valley. There were …

The first time that I tasted Château Léoube rosé was in California, not in Provence. It wasn’t that long ago that rosé wine was hard to find in the USA. Initially, it was often confused with white zinfandel, wine of a similar colour but not similar in any other way. …

Lourmarin in December It’s December and people everywhere are getting ready for Christmas. After weeks of blue skies and gentle warm days, it’s raining where I live in California and temperatures have plummeted. The puddles are splattered with the last remnants of autumn and the mornings are frosty with low …

Imagine staying in a glorious 19th century Provencal country estate surrounded by mighty cedars, olive trees and resplendent vineyards framed by the rolling Luberon hills of the Durance Valley. Transformed in 2013 by architect Alexandre Lafourcade, Domaine de Fontenille is now a luxury spa hotel and exceptional wine domaine, with …

What’s in a Name? Sunflowers are synonymous with Provence, their bright smiling faces adorning paintings and postcards throughout the region. With brilliant yellow petals, sometimes known as rays, their resemblance to the summer sun is unmistakable. Stunningly beautiful these dazzling flowers conjure up the very essence of summer, especially summer …

I’m often asked why I called my blog ‘Shutters and Sunflowers.’ To me, they are both so defining of Provence and indeed much of France. Throughout this beautiful country, many of the buildings, whether historic or recently built, are adorned with shutters. And in the summertime, everywhere but especially in …