Visit Nyons Thursday Market
ExploreOur House in ProvenceVillages Towns and Cities

Visit Nyons on Thursday for the Market and More

We arrived at our Sablet home last Tuesday after being away for five (5) months. Unfortunately, we arrived too late to shop at the weekly market in Vaison-la-Romaine, which, as faithful readers know, is our very favourite market in Provence. On Thursday morning, we headed to Nyons just 28 km …

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Footsteps of Paul Cézanne Aix
ExploreVillages Towns and CitiesWilliam Adams

Walking in the Footsteps of Paul Cézanne in Aix

It’s 8:30 am and I’m walking west on the Cours Mirabeau toward the Fontaine de la Rotonde. The Cours is temporarily lined with wooden stalls for vendors working the holiday market — santoniers with their clay nativity figures, clothiers, toymakers, specialty food vendors, artists. The stalls are beginning to open, …

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Alyscamps Roman Burial Arles
ExploreSue AranVillages Towns and Cities

Alyscamps the Roman Burial in Arles is a Must-See

Immortalized in Dante’s Inferno, Alyscamps, one of the most famous historical burial grounds outside of Rome, is a short walk from the centre of Arles in the southwestern corner of Provence. The day my tour group visited, there was no one else there except a few stray cats, and the …

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Avignon Rhone river
ExploreRenata HaidleVillages Towns and Cities

Why I’m Heading Back to Avignon, France

Back To France 22 months. 22 months of uncertainty and worry, of hopes that were dashed, of plans that didn’t come true. 22 months of maybes and if onlys. 22 months of a feeling I ended up calling traveller’s despair. The gnawing fear that France, like the rest of the …

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Nimes arena Amphitheatre
ExploreKeith Van SickleVillages Towns and Cities

Arles or Nîmes Where Best to Visit Roman Provence?

Roman Provence Way back around 50 B.C., Julius Caesar conquered Gaul (now France), and the area remained part of the Roman Empire for centuries. As a result, Roman ruins are all over France, but the best ones are in and around Provence. In fact, ‘Provence’ comes from the Latin ‘Provincia …

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St Remy de Provence Alpilles
Carolyne Kauser-AbbottExploreVillages Towns and Cities

Les Baux de Provence Perched High in the Alpilles

Fortifications have long existed in the Alpilles because the cliffs and rocky outcroppings made for perfect defensive positions. Plus, the high places make it easy to spot signs of danger. Unfortunately, these fortifications were built of wood or earth for much of human history, so little or no trace remains …

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Orgon Notre Dame de Beauregard Alpilles
Carolyne Kauser-AbbottExploreVillages Towns and Cities

Discover These Authentic Alpilles Villages

Within the Parc Naturel Régional des Alpilles are several villages, each with a distinctive character. Authentic Alpilles Villages Below, we highlight a few towns that are not typically on visitors’ itineraries. These villages have as much history and charm as their popular neighbours. But perhaps with some additional authenticity as …

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Visit Isle sur la Sorgue
Carolyne Kauser-AbbottExploreVillages Towns and Cities

Our Top Ideas for a Day in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

Antiques, art, waterwheels, and shopping are among the many reasons to visit the “Venice of Provence” – L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. The busy town on the Sorgue River was at one time a fishing village. Below are some ideas on spending a day in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue exploring the boutiques, galleries and taking in the …

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Le Barroux Village Vaucluse
ExploreOur House in ProvenceVillages Towns and Cities

Le Barroux Village in the Vaucluse and Family Connections

Who doesn’t love a good family mystery? My father Daniel Augsburger was born in Switzerland. His mother was French and at a young age, the family moved to the South of France. He came to the United States in 1939, just prior to World War II for college and to …

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Roman Traces Apt was Apta Julia
ExploreJulie WhitmarshVillages Towns and Cities

Apt was once Apta Julia the Roman City

A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to do a pop-up event with my jewellery in the cellar of our friends’ newly restored townhouse and apartments in the centre of Apt Cent Cinq. I say cellar, but this was the most beautiful, vaulted stone room, set below the …

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