There’s only one island in Provence’s Bouches-du-Rhone with trees, and that’s the Ile Verte, off the coast of La Ciotat.  It’s just a 10-minute hop by navette from the Vieux Port of La Ciotat to this tiny island which is just 430x260m in size. Once there, you can enjoy the …

The PACA region scored high in the Michelin 2022 rating of French restaurants, revealed during a star-studded ceremony held in Cognac on March 23rd. There are now some 90 restaurants boasting at least one star in Michelin in Provence, which, revered or detested, is the granddaddy of restaurant guides. Four …

Cosquer Mediterranée recreates the prehistoric cave paintings which exist 35 metres below sea level near Marseille in an underwater labyrinth investigated by speleologist Henri Cosquer. Of course, 20,000 years ago, the cave-dwellers could wander in and out of these dwellings where they drew the wildlife of their habitat: sea animals, …

This year at Carrières de Lumières in Les Baux de Provence Venise la Serenissima is going to whisk us to the Grand Canal, over little bridges and through the shady walkways between beautiful buildings and churches. The 45-minute image and music show will immerse visitors in Byzantine art and the …

Cooler weather in Provence, a touch of humidity, and maybe even some rain brings with it the promise of wild mushrooms foraged from nearby forests. However, you need to know where to look and do not expect the locals to show you where to find edible fungi. The good news …

Delighted to say that my book Aix-en-Provence The Inside Story is being re-issued, brought up to date and now in colour throughout.  It‘s eight (8) years since it was first published, and I believe I am right in saying that it’s still the only book to cover the story of …

After 18 years in Aix, I only realized that it’s actually someone’s job to clamber up narrow staircases and reach across the void inside the Tour de l’Horloge to manoeuvre the four (4) statues around every 3 months when the season changes. It’s down to (or should we say up …

With so many things closed right now, maybe seizing the opportunity of a sunny January day to wrap up and have a walk around some purely Provencal sites might be just the ticket to lift the spirits; and if you’re not in Provence right now, these seven art walks may …

For its fourth season, the Villa Carmignac presents The Imaginary Sea (La Mer imaginaire), an ideal subject for this idiosyncratic gallery:  part of it is housed in an old building with views to the sea below, while the other part is underground, a modern exhibition space beneath a glass-bottomed pool.  …

Until the end of October, Fondation Vincent van Gogh Arles presents an exhibition bringing together new works by the American artist Laura Owens with seven paintings by Van Gogh, most made in and around Arles. Van Gogh hardly needs an introduction but here’s what the gallery writes about Laura Owens: …