It took seven years, 50-million Euros and loads of patience before Domaine de Manville could achieve its 5-star rating. Edith and Patrick Saut are the visionary owners behind this new luxury “Palace Rural” situated in the heart of the Parc Naturel Regional des Alpilles.

Gilles Conchy says it was Provencal food and family ties that tugged him back to Provence after four years in California. Although, he admits that he could still be a “California boy.” The sandy, windswept beaches and seemingly endless sunny days of the southwest U.S. fit like a second skin …

My mother might not approve as some of my relationships these days start via social media – a tweet, a Facebook “like.” That is exactly how we ended up on a rocky trail bordered by the Durance River and cherry orchards with our new friend Charmaine. We spent a Tuesday …

Camargue the Bouches du Rhône The Camargue is the end of the watery road for the Rhone River. The Rhone finally dips its tentacles in the Mediterranean some 813 kilometres from its glacial source in Switzerland. From a frigid, violent start the water reaches the river delta and lazily unfolds, …

Challenged to find ratatouille and timely updates on current events, Lynne Alderson took matters into her hands and launched Aixcentric. After three years, this blog is THE go-to source for what is happening in and around Aix en Provence. From bus strikes to gallery openings, from Marseille’s shopping to the …

Maybe the panhandlers should have headed to Provence instead of California! Gold appears to be easy to come by under sunny Provencal skies, according to real estate agents who gush about the chic Cote d’Azur, the star-studded Var and Peter Mayle’s gold-dusted Luberon. The village of Eygalières has the geographic …

Chateau la Coste beckoned! It has been at least two years since my last visit to the vineyard owned by Paddy McKillen, an Irishman with a love for Provence, wine and contemporary art and architecture. I made up for my lack of attendance with two lunchtime visits this summer.

Aix’s Hotel de Ville The Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall) and the busy square directly in front date from 1741 a time when Aix en Provence was the capital of Provence. The building was constructed for meetings between consuls and the Town Council. Today, the building remains the place where …

It is time for the olive harvest in Provence, where most of the fruit gets turned into health healthy oil. However, some is left whole for snacking with a glass of local rosé. Here, is a savoury recipe, a quick bread made with olives.     This is an easy …

Luberon Villages Ansouis was a gift – 963 AD, and it still is! This village first appears in a written record in 963 AD, referring to Lambert de Reillane, who donated Ansoye lands to the Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Montmajour. This land in the Aigues valley belonged to his grandfather …