My new book, “Art in the South of France: The Inside Story,” will be launched this week. It is a journey across from ancient sun-drenched Arles through Saint-Tropez and Saint Paul-de-Vence to the Italianate beauty of Menton, following the artists who flocked south to the area where their creativity flourished …

The Most Instagrammable Spots in Provence France may be the most visited country in the world, with the region of Provence falling in only second to Paris, but it remains a tricky task to discover some of its hidden treasures. Anyone who has ever had any inclination towards finding the …

It was Renoir’s birthday on February 25th, which has prompted me to write a little about his final home at Cagnes-sur-Mer, now the Musée Renoir. It’s easily do-able from Aix and a must once this wave of cold weather has ended. A sunny day is ideal as the views from his …

Here is another good reason to visit Toulon! A reconstruction of the L’Hermione, the historic ship in which the Marquis de la Lafayette crossed the Atlantic to support Americans fighting for independence, will be in the port of Toulon from 5-8th April. I understand that tickets to go aboard have …

It was a surprise when ‘Happy Days’, the café in the corner of Place Richelme was demolished before Christmas; it always seemed busy. But now Le Petit Bistrot is in its place and it is a delightful place to have a petit dej’, coffee or hot chocolate.Wide choice of wines, …

Two exhibitions, both dedicated to Picasso, are now open in Marseille as part of the ‘Picasso-Méditerranée 2017-2019′ cultural programme. (These join the other Picasso-orientated shows, which I list further down this post.) ‘Picasso et Les Ballets Russes, entre Italie et Espagne’ focuses on four productions by Serge Diaghilev for which …

Recently, Lynne Alderson (Aixcentric) wrote a book review on Passion for Provence: 22 Keys to La Belle Vie a book written by Gayle Smith Padgett that was published in November 2017. We were intrigued by the tale of a couple of American transplants who spent their honeymoon in Provence and …

Just opened, and with perfect timing to catch the wave of ‘Quel Amour’, the new exhibition at Marseille’s Musée Regards de Provence illustrates the relationship between the artist and his or her muse. “The modern muse has this irresistible faculty to appeal to the artist and often to his heart, …

What a mess the town centre is with the travaux for the new bus route and the simultaneous archaeological dig and renovations at the Place des Precheurs. But then no pain no gain…no omelettes without breaking eggs, and all that good stuff. The bus drivers seem to be bearing the …

The new ‘Quel Amour’ programme launched on February 14 and runs until September 1, 2018. This is the 7-month cultural extravaganza planned by the MP2018 committee who were inspired by the European Year of Culture back in 2013 which did so much to galvanise the arts scene in Marseille-Provence. Continue …