We had barely walked 3km from our meeting point, but we were utterly lost in the architecture and history of Arles. My husband and I were in Arles for our annual trip to the sous-prefecture to request the forms for the renewal of our long-stay visas. This process involves getting …

Samantha Mureau’s career in search of the latest fashion and style trends brought her to Europe on too many occasions to count. Now, she runs Trendline Europe from Aix en Provence in the South of France. You can read more about Samantha and Discovering Designers an event that she recently …

This year has been the toughest yet to get into a blogging rhythm. For many reasons. Firstly I’m eight months pregnant and if this last week is anything to go by our little one wants to come and meet the world sooner rather than later. Around the same month…Continue reading …

Contributor blog post by Access Riviera: Ouch. Cannes has been voted Number 10 place in the list of 2015’s unfriendliest cities of the world as rated by a Readers’ Choice Awards survey by Condé Nast Traveler (and in 2014 they did not fare much better; they claimed Number 2 spot …

Now is the time to pick wild figs in Provence. White and violet figs alike are ripe on the wild ‘figuier’ trees that grow anywhere close to water sources here in Provence. I’m always amazed how these resistant (almost invasive) trees can root themselves between rocks and grow 30 feet …

The summer truffle-hunts have wound down, and it’s too early to look for the black diamond beauties, but the Pepins refuse to take a break! Instead, they invite you to come on over and get your feet dirty…or rather purple. For some background on this Franco-American truffle-hunting couple, please read …

Contributor blog post by Access Riviera: Cannes has a love/hate relationship with the huge influx of visitors that the annual congrès events and Cannes Film Festival bring to this popular destination. Bars crammed with people, traffic jams and a visible presence of the charming motorbike cops can overwhelm visitors – …

Reading MFK Fisher’s Two Towns in Provence, you might be surprised that it was written so long ago. Cours Mirabeau, the cultural center of Aix, looks much like it did when Fisher and her two daughters sought solace at Les Deux Garçons or ambled down the boulevard so many decades …

One of the wonderful things about living in the countryside in Provence is taking advantage of the free food found all over the landscape. Any amateur forager can benefit without putting their lives at risk! (Although my other half gets quite anxious when I’ve come back with a pile of …

Contributor blog post by Jemma: Some of our most memorable summer days in the Côte d’Azur are spent looking back at it. Several years ago, in a feat approached with unusual seriousness, Philippe bagged his French motor boating license. My husband may have been running a Fortune 500 company at …