Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: It was Renoir’s birthday on February 25th, which has prompted me to write a little about his final home at Cagnes-sur-Mer, now the Musée Renoir. It’s easily do-able from Aix and a must once this wave of cold weather has ended. A sunny day is ideal as …

The tinkling of bells was the musical clue. Our friend encouraged us to rush to their property’s perimeter wall to witness a shepherd (berger) moving his flock near Eguilles in Provence. The collection of sheep and herd dogs consumed the entire back lane as far as the eye could see, …

An abrivado is a special event in Provence, where French cowboys called gardians run bulls through a town as part of a big sporting event. It’s an exciting test of horsemanship that not all gardians can master. Even more exciting is the Gaso de Taureaux. Here, instead of running through …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Two exhibitions are now open in Marseille, both dedicated to Picasso, as part of the ‘Picasso-Méditerranée 2017-2019′ cultural programme. (These join the other Picasso-orientated shows which I list further down this post.) ‘Picasso et Les Ballets Russes, entre Italie et Espagne’ focuses on four productions …

With over 369 million French speakers around the globe why not celebrate? Since 1970, when the Niamey Convention was signed, International Francophonie Day (website) is celebrated every year on March 20th. There are 77 countries in the world where French is the language of record, or in some cases like …

Recently, Lynne Alderson (Aixcentric) wrote a book review on Passion for Provence: 22 Keys to La Belle Vie a book written by Gayle Smith Padgett that was published in November 2017. We were intrigued by the tale of a couple of American transplants who spent their honeymoon in Provence and …

Just opened, and with perfect timing to catch the wave of ‘Quel Amour’, the new exhibition at Marseille’s Musée Regards de Provence illustrates the relationship between the artist and his or her muse. “The modern muse has this irresistible faculty to appeal to the artist and often to his heart, …

The new ‘Quel Amour’ programme launched on 14th February and runs until September 1, 2018. This is the 7-month cultural extravaganza planned by the MP2018 committee who were inspired by the European Year of Culture back in 2013 which did so much to galvanise the arts scene in Marseille-Provence. Continue …

Spring is Upon us! Or, at least, it is here. I remember growing up in Montréal when you could smell the spring mud and ice thawing, there would always be one last snow generally right before my birthday on April 26th. Urgh. For all of you in colder climes, you’re …

Provence. Its powerful image enchants people worldwide, and many, inspired by the wonderful Peter Mayle, actually come to live here; and, inspired by A Year in Provence, decide that they have a story to tell. Most are remarkably different. Some arrive to transform crumbling chateaux with either lot of money …