Download Our Summer Menu Collection

Since summer entertaining should be a breeze, this collection, designed with simplicity in mind, features 20 easy-to-follow recipes and a few menu suggestions. Download this PDF, which includes recipes for starters, main courses, side dishes, and desserts.

 Susan Newman Manfull

blank

It was love at first sight when my family and I arrived in the charming village of Lourmarin for a short vacation, nearly 20 years ago. We returned home to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and the next thing I knew, we were planning a much longer sojourn in that village and making arrangements to enroll our daughter in the local school there. That led to buying a maison de village— actually two, then a courtyard, a parking spot, and a bergerie— in our favourite Provençal village where we (readily) adopted that certain joie de vivre, established dear friendships, and, to this day, endeavour to blend in with the crowd at Café Gaby.

We no longer own property in Lourmarin, but we continue to hang our hats there frequently and gather fodder for our souls and The Modern Trobaors and Provence WineZine. There is never a shortage.

The Modern Trobadors, conceived in 2008, is about all things Provence: its markets, hilltop villages, lavender, art, literature, culture, history, food, wine, and news. Provence WineZine, launched in August 2014, focuses on wines from Provence and the Southern Rhône Valley regions—with a special emphasis on Provence's world-renowned rosés—and the men and women who make them.

blank
Carolyne Kauser-Abbott · Explore · Guided Holiday Tours

5 Reasons to Join a Goût et Voyage 2026 Tour in Beautiful Provence

July 18, 2025
Book a small group tour with Goût et Voyage for an adventure that satisfies your wanderlust and enriches your soul with cultural and culinary insights in Provence and beyond. Founder Martine Bertin-Peterson wants you to discover the Goût et Voyage destinations (Provence, Normandy, Umbria and Morocco), where each adventure is crafted to offer you a …
Continue Reading
blank
Artists Inspired by Provence · Barefoot Blogger · Inspire · Villages Towns and Cities

Inspiring Van Gogh to LUMA, Arles is a Must-Visit for Art Lovers in Provence

July 16, 2025
If you love Van Gogh, Gauguin, or art history, Arles should be on your travel list. Arles inspired Van Gogh, who created over 300 works here, convinced Paul Gauguin to join him in an ill-fated artistic collaboration and where some of the most famous scenes in art and history still exist today. Arles a Must-Visit …
Continue Reading
blank
French Decor & Gardens · Guest Post · Inspire

What Makes Provencal Interior Design So Irresistibly Beautiful?

July 11, 2025
The following guest article on Mediterranean l’art de vivre comes from the team at Herman & Arnal, an architectural and interior design firm based in Mougins, a village in the Alpes-Maritimes near Cannes and Grasse. Below are some key elements of Provencal interior design that embrace simplicity, neutral palettes, and celebrate indoor-outdoor living. Mediterranean Living …
Continue Reading
blank
Carolyne Kauser-Abbott · Explore · Provencal Recipes · Villages Towns and Cities

5 Reasons Why We Love Aix-en-Provence

July 10, 2025
Today’s Aix-en-Provence was founded in 122 BC when the Romans moved from Entremont, an oppidum established by the Salyens, a Celtic-Ligurian tribe. The new settlement was Aquae Sextiae (“the waters of Sextius”), a tribute to the highly respected Roman consul Caius Sextius Calvinus. Strategically located, this new city had access to natural water sources. While …
Continue Reading