“Thirty-five minutes from St Tropez” I first learnt of the concept of house-sitting on holiday in 2006. We had rented an apartment in a lovely house just south of La Garde Freinet, a small town in the Var, about twenty minutes from Saint-Tropez. I realised that house-sitting might be a …

Tania Laveder had hoped to write her own story, but over the years she has lost some of her Russian. She learned German only for the purposes of survival. The Italian of her in-laws remains fairly non-existent. And the French that has governed her life for almost 70 years now …

Two years ago, I published ‘Aix-en-Provence The Inside Story’.  I embarked on it because there is so little in English on the history of this fascinating town. Guide books are very big on facades and columns but don’t say much about the people who lived in the buildings. I wanted …

Recently, PJ Adams the author of Intoxicating Southern France shared with readers why she is intoxicated by Provence (and the rest of France). If you missed the previous article, follow this link to learn more about why PJ is legally intoxicated by Provence. This, is how PJ describes her Perfectly …

Like an old postcard or an entry in a dusty travel journal the city of Nice has long summoned me to return and I did! The half-moon smile of Baie des Anges still grins under 300+ days of sunshine as locals and tourists slide by on the Promenade des Anglais. …

Sparkling azure waters, chilled pink wine, cicada-led symphonies and the market aromas of rotisserie chickens it is easy to see how one might get drunk on the sensory indulgence of Provence. Intoxicating PJ Adams grew up in California where she studied, before heading to the London School of Economics. Her …

This beautiful art book illustrates the many different ways people choose to live in Provence. It is part of a “Living in…” series of publications about living in different parts of the world including places like Tuscany or Bali. This particular volume was published in 2012 to celebrate the 25th …

The Chief Tasting Officer (CTO) at Scaramouche Artisan Glacier is Author Elizabeth Bard’s husband Gwendal. This Franco-American couple is jointly forging a sweet career path in the village of Cérèste. Fueled by the seasonal flavours of their new home in Provence, Elizabeth and Gwendal determined that their careers should be …

Thomas Jefferson, Minister to France began his southern France travels in 1787 from Paris and that initiated his love for the region. Jefferson visited St Remy de Provence and Les Baux, learning about agriculture and antiquity. Jefferson tested the famous Roman-era baths in Aix-en-Provence. Read more on Ginger and Nutmeg’s …

Want to lose weight? Open an artisanal ice cream shop. Elizabeth Bard tells me that she and her husband Gwendal lost 10 and 20 pounds, respectively, the first summer they opened Scaramouche Artisan Glacier in Cérèste. The tale of how an art historian from New York and a Frenchman with …