“The bull has escaped!” Cowboy Culture in Provence I looked up to see a thousand pounds of anger barreling down the street at me. Everyone scattered, frantically jumping over the metal barriers to safety. The bull thundered past, followed by closely by French cowboys on horseback. It was a terrifying …

Learning a second language is never easy, and as a uni-lingual adult, the long “road” to mastering French is daunting. Even native French speakers agree that there are more exceptions to the language’s rules than necessary, and let’s not even begin to talk about verbs. Marina Depoorter is the founder …

Until recently the village of Saumane, in the Vaucluse, was not on many tourist’s itineraries and the town’s residents probably liked it that way. After four years of restoration work and a large budget, the hilltop Château de Saumane has opened for public visits during summer months. Writer, philosopher, political …

“Night Nurse Needed – Should be young and pretty.” This was the ad Henri Matisse placed with the nursing school in Nice, France in 1942. He was seventy-two years old and still working while recovering from a serious surgery. He required constant care and needed someone to fill in while …

With Valentine’s Day just two days away, we thought this post by Ashley Tinker was well-timed for any romantics who are considering popping the big question. Whether you are in the South of France on February 14th or not, here is her post on the 8 best proposal spots in Provence. …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: The former convent and college des Precheurs in Aix centre ville has been sold for 11.5 million euros to house an extensive collection of Picasso’s works – paintings, ceramics, sculptures – 2,000 in all. The Musée Jacqueline et Pablo Picasso will be the third museum …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Picasso’s work has been chosen to be the co-subject of the summer show at Aix’s Musée Granet. ‘Picasso/Picabia’ begins on at the Musée Granet in Aix-en-Provence on June 9th and runs through to 23rd September.  It promises to be an intriguing juxtaposition of two very different artists working in …

As most of you living in and around Aix will know, the region has long been associated with Mary Magdalene, the companion of Jesus who, according to legend, was driven out of Palestine during early Christian persecutions. She was expelled together with other saints in a boat without sails which …

Writing a book about rosé taught Elizabeth Gabay MW that pink is defined by more than Provence. In case you haven’t noticed, the world is in the midst of a rosé revolution. The young and flirty alternative to red and white wine, the pink drink is the toast of summer …

Mimosa and Sea Urchins Despite it being February, the coast of France, which borders the Mediterranean, becomes bright yellow during this time of year. Synonymous with the Mediterranean, I’ll never forget when I was in Italy during International Women’s Day. It’s the custom there to hand out Mimosa to every …