Understanding Real Estate Agents in France When looking to buy a property in France – especially if you’re not fluent in French – it can be tempting to register with one anglophone estate agent and hope for the best. For many house hunters, the search in France starts like that. …

From the bright lights of one of the world’s biggest cities to a rural village in the South of France, Susana Iwase Hanson has plenty of experience with relocations. Tri-lingual (English, French and Japanese) and armed with diplomas in linguistics, and international business and marketing, she launched Provence Living in …

During spring months in Provence, it is common to find fresh white and green asparagus in local markets, and the perfect excuse to make a white asparagus gratin. In Germany, this particular season has a name: Spargelzeit. This phrase really just means “asparagus time”, but it sounds so poetic in German. …

Ce Gâteau de Pentecôte, très sucré est donc fait pour être partagé entre le plus de personnes possibles. Il est délicieux servi avec des fruits de saison bien juteux: fraises ou groseilles.
(This traditional cake is very sweet and meant to be shared among as many people as possible. It is delicious served with juicy seasonal fruits such as strawberries or red currants.)

Pot au Feu is a French recipe that you should have in your repertoire. A bit like a pot roast you need a large casserole a selection of meat, a few root vegetables and an afternoon.

Near the beautiful Luberon village of Goult is a property named Les Maquignon Hameau. Odette Linton and her partner are looking for renters for their charming hameau (hamlet) for six weeks this summer. What a made-in-heaven opportunity to settle into daily life in Provence, from a comfortable home base. Located between …

There is something wonderful about a traditional French market and over the years we’ve spent a considerable amount of time ambling around them in different towns across the Country. The nice thing is that each area expresses its own identity through its markets – with the wonderful seafood stalls, full …

Contributor blog post by Margo Lestz: Are you superstitious? Do you avoid things reputed to bring bad luck even if you don’t believe they will – just in case?  Most cultures have their particular ideas about what is lucky or unlucky, and France is no exception. So, I thought that I …

My wife and I were on vacation in Italy, zooming along the autostrada near Florence when she suddenly started shouting and waving. “Pull over!” she yelled. “Right now! There’s a Decathlon!” That got my attention. I spun the wheels to the right and barely made it onto the off-ramp in …

Contributor blog post by Caroline Longstaffe: When you leave a place for several months, however much you love it, even somewhere as special as Lourmarin, you find yourself wondering. Wondering if it is really is as magical as the images you have so firmly imprinted in your mind. Wondering whether you’ll …