By aixcentric What a great idea – 640 tonnes of sand to be dumped on the MUCEM esplanade to make a big beach for the summer. It will be open all day for walks, picnics at shaded tables, pétanque games, Ping-Pong and, on Sundays, dances. There will also be workshops …

By aixcentric If you fancy giving your painting skills a boost, I can recommend from personal experience the Atelier Ombres et Lumieres in Les Milles. Owner and artist Muriel Moutel will be teaching one-week courses during July, for adults and ados. Muriel encourages her classes to start with interesting backgrounds …

By aixcentric That’s the question posed by the new exhibition ‘Lieux Saints Partagés’ at MUCEM. All around the Mediterranean, populations are either Christian, Muslim or Jewish, each with their seemingly different religious observances, rituals and places of worship. This exhibition argues that there are far greater commonalities between them than …

By aixcentric Are artists visionaries? How did they see the future 100 years ago? How do they see the future today? These are the questions posed by FUTURS the new expo at Marseille’s Vieille Charité which opened on Friday. There are a hundred works grouped chronologically by Léger, Ernst, Matisse, …

Petit-fils Aixcentric regularly cooks at his maternelle. What a great idea to get them mastering simple recipes so early. Four-year olds can go wild with the icing and sugar sprinkles! His yoghurt cake was delicious and using the empty yoghurt pot as a measure made it so very simple. Explore …

By aixcentric Every June, there’s a must-visit exhibition in Aix from a talented local family – painter Jill Steenhuis, her sculptor husband Sergio Ruffato plus their son Serge, also a sculptor. Jill paints in an impressionistic style and usually takes her inspiration from Aix, the Sainte-Victoire and the countryside around …

By aixcentric Thanks to Claire (@clairewords) for alerting Aixcentric to the new rules governing car-hire. It seems that, from today, we Brits no longer need to carry the paper part of the driving licence which records offences and endorsements; all that information is going online instead. Holidaymakers who hire cars …

By aixcentric It has started – such treats in store for music-lovers. L’Antichambre du Festival, the prelude to the July Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, began June 9th. It’s a chance for locals to sample recitals, opera rehearsals and workshops – there will be 35 in all. Explore this Post Via:: Aixcentric       

The Musee des Beaux Arts at Marseille’s Palais Longchamp is the venue for two sets of art classes this summer. Watercolour lessons are on July 8-10th and 15-17th while instruction in charcoal drawing takes place on August 12-14th and 19-21st. 18€ per 3 days. Click here for Explore this Post

By aixcentric What a treasure trove of information this is. If you have children, grandchildren or visitors due, you need to arm yourself with this 148-page guide produced by La Provence. It not only gives you loads of ideas, but also has opening times and costings to save you researching …