Cotignac in Provence’s Var Susana Iwase Hanson is the founder of Provence Living Cotignac, after living on several continents, she and her husband discovered Cotignac, a quiet village in the Var, a decade ago (read her interesting backstory). Cotignac’s residents enjoy the benefits of living in the Provencal countryside with the …

Fully bilingual (English and French), Tasha Powell calls Los Angeles, California home when she is not in living in Puyricard outside of Aix-en-Provence. Located 10 kilometres from the centre of Aix, Puyricard is part of the greater metro area, with the benefits of centralized services such as public transport. The …

Relaxation in Provence A silky cocoon of soft luxury is precisely what the team at The Silk Farm Retreat delivers. Tucked away in the hamlet of Les Ferauds, in the Var, this converted farmhouse is ideal for a get-away in Provence. The Silk Farm Retreat welcomed the first guests in …

An Address in Provence Michel and Shirley live in California’s wine country north of San Francisco but even surrounded by those beautiful vineyards they felt a tug to Provence. The couple searched for several years before buying a house in Sablet, a village in the Vaucluse. Perhaps it was Michel’s …

By Paula Kane I am a big fan of ritual. Simple or complex, I believe they are good for keeping us grounded in something bigger than ourselves. I have mini rituals I do every day, but when I get to France, I crash right into a whole different set of …

December Holiday Shake-up Christmas holiday routines can get a bit tedious, and for many people, overwhelming. Why not mix things up this year and book a week in Provence near Isle sur la Sorgue? Delightful Domaine de Palerme, near Isle sur la Sorgue, is available for Christmas or the New …

Living Part-time in Provence My wife and I live part of the year in St-Rémy and it’s been fun to get to know the place. One way we’ve done it is through local associations, which are groups organized around a common interest. Associations are popular in France and every town …

By Vaucluse Dreamer: Yesterday Andy and I sat in the Artisan Bakery on The Quay in Exeter, raising a cup of coffee to celebrate the 3 years since we signed the papers and picked up the keys to our long-dreamed-for house in Provence. Of course we would have rather been …

By Jemma: It’s all about the ants. I’ve never forgotten the advice from one of my earliest writing teachers. You can go on a glorious picnic – the food, conversation, and the weather all perfection – but you have no story until the ants arrive. They invade your blanket and …

This guest post is by Susana Iwase Hanson, the founder of Provence Living Cotignac.  Susana is multi-talented and tri-lingual. She lives with her family in the Var in the beautiful, rural village of Cotignac (read more about her interesting backstory here). But after living on many continents, big city living …