During Angela’s French immersion holiday in Provence, we set off one day to discover Marseille’s highlights, including its Bonne Mere – Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde. French Immersion Hello. My name is Angela. I’m in Provence again this year for an immersion holiday with Virginie. We decide to go …

Who didn’t want to escape somewhere during the height of the pandemic? Personally, going anywhere outside the confines of our townhouse was a diversion. At home in England, author Sophie Claire crafted her pandemic “getaway” by writing her latest novel, An Escape to Provence, about an unlikely love match in …

How can you capture the spirit of a city in perfume? That was likely the question that Magali Fleurquin-Bonnard, the founder of Rose et Marius, a luxury perfume creator, asked herself. In collaboration with the Office de Tourisme d’Aix-en-Provence (tourism office), Rose et Marius created a unique fragrance that is …

Admittedly, we had never heard of Charleval or the significant neo-Gothic style castle on the edge of this agricultural village. Before the Château Charleval Provence Art Gallery, there had never been a reason to visit the town. Now, the former hunting lodge is a setting for “Amour Art Amitié” (Love, …

Festivals and Fall Events in Provence Fall in Provence directs you towards a heartier menu. Enjoy meat (lamb, wild boar, taureaux, rabbit, fowl) roasted with herbes de Provence, root vegetables and delicious red wine blends. At this time of year, the hiking is fabulous, biking is possible, and golfers might …

George Bellairs, Death in High Provence, Ipso Books, London, 2016. Originally published in 1957 in Great Britain by John Gifford Ltd., and in 1963 in the U.S by Penguin. A review by Mary-Jane Deeb. About the Author George Bellairs is the nom de plume of Harold Blundell (1902-1982), a mystery …

Perched on hilltops throughout the region, the castles of Provence are intriguing. These seemingly impenetrable fortresses have stone foundations and ramparts for defensive purposes. Reflective of turbulent periods in French history, many of the châteaux in southern France were built on summits maximising the ability to anticipate enemy approach. Today, …

It isn’t easy (for me) to walk by a market vendor in Provence that carries table linens without at least a quick stop. The array of bright colours and attractive patterns are like a magnet drawing me in close – even though I should know better! Unfortunately, these products (table …

Flowerworks – that’s the theme for 10 museums and galleries across Nice from now until autumn and, in some cases, 2023. The Musée Massena has ‘Nice Queen of Flowers’, which looks at how flowers have provided motifs for local architecture and the decorative arts. But, of course, the painters loved …

‘Lee Miller Photographe Professionelle’  focuses on one of the most intense and productive periods in the life of this intriguing (*) American photographer (1907–1977). During the 1930s, she was a fashion model but moved behind the camera to head her studio in New York.  She specialised as a fashion and …