Writer, entrepreneur and small group tour director Annette Charlton says, “I was a Francophile long before I visited France.” She agreed to curate our 2022 dinner party menu inspired by the change of seasons in Provence. Autumn is harvest time, so with the abundance of delicious seasonal produce available in …

Goût et Voyage is Martine Bertin-Peterson’s boutique travel company offering small-group tours in Provence and Tuscany. Martine was born in France and moved to the US with her family at seven. After visiting much of the world as a tour guide and for personal enjoyment, she tells me that the …

Who didn’t want to escape somewhere during the height of the pandemic? Personally, going anywhere outside the confines of our townhouse was a diversion. At home in England, author Sophie Claire crafted her pandemic “getaway” by writing her latest novel, An Escape to Provence, about an unlikely love match in …

“How can you govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?” ~ French President, Charles de Gaulle in 1962 Serving a cheese course after the main dish is customary in France but certainly not mandatory. Typically the host provides a selection of cheeses ranging from mild …

How can you capture the spirit of a city in perfume? That was likely the question that Magali Fleurquin-Bonnard, the founder of Rose et Marius, a luxury perfume creator, asked herself. In collaboration with the Office de Tourisme d’Aix-en-Provence (tourism office), Rose et Marius created a unique fragrance that is …

Admittedly, we had never heard of Charleval or the significant neo-Gothic style castle on the edge of this agricultural village. Before the Château Charleval Provence Art Gallery, there had never been a reason to visit the town. Now, the former hunting lodge is a setting for “Amour Art Amitié” (Love, …

Festivals and Fall Events in Provence Fall in Provence directs you towards a heartier menu. Enjoy meat (lamb, wild boar, taureaux, rabbit, fowl) roasted with herbes de Provence, root vegetables and delicious red wine blends. At this time of year, the hiking is fabulous, biking is possible, and golfers might …

Perched on hilltops throughout the region, the castles of Provence are intriguing. These seemingly impenetrable fortresses have stone foundations and ramparts for defensive purposes. Reflective of turbulent periods in French history, many of the châteaux in southern France were built on summits maximising the ability to anticipate enemy approach. Today, …

In most people’s minds, lavender, rosé wine, and Provence are inseparable. As a result, the flowering lavender fields are a magnetic attraction for locals and visitors alike from mid-June until the middle of August. Farming Lavender The Romans first introduced the lavender plant to the South of France as they …

At first blush, many visitors may not realize that the Alpes-Maritimes department expands from the beaches of the French Riviera to the ski resorts of the southern Alps to the Italian border. Surrounded by the Var and the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, the Alpes-Maritimes has densely populated urban areas, famous Côte d’Azur cities, …