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. The 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 …

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 …

Just like last August’s post on a similar subject, I arrived in France four days ago with broad beans (fava beans) from the UK. This time, however, there was a recipe on my agenda that had been there for too long and I had ran out of time to get …

Contributor blog post by Jemma: French Lessons is delighted to welcome back the ever-engaging Philippe for his annual musings on what makes France, well, France. “UberPop should be dissolved and branded illegal, and cars should be seized.” This recent declaration came from none other than Président François Hollande. His words …

Contributor blog post by Vaucluse Dreamer I can’t help it, I really enjoy being close to nature. We live in a small village, nearly 1000 feet up on Dartmoor within the National Park so we have a daily procession of sheep, cows and ponies walking past our front gate – …