Of all the British women writers of the mid-20th century, perhaps cookery author Elizabeth David brought the most colour and sensuousness to the page – and the table. When she wrote about aubergines, courgettes, garlic and aromatic herbs, these were exotic rarities in the grey of Britain’s post-war rationing, and …

Contributor blog post by Jemma: My dive into France’s linguistic obsession with food began with the summer shoe sales. This dazzling array pulled us into the shoe store – and launched an exploration into the French language. Twelve-year-old Lolo and I were meandering recently through the narrow streets of old …

At first glance, one might think nothing much has changed at Ateliers Fourwinds since my last visit four years ago. Which, is exactly what the new partners want for this artistic workshop (atelier) space with its natural vistas of the Alpilles. Their desire was to breathe new artistic energy into this …

Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of art. In just over a decade he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, many of them in the last two years of his life. Saint-Paul-de-Mausole lies …

Contributor blog post by Ashley Tinker: This is the month where just about the whole of Northern France descends onto the beaches of the Côte d’Azur. On the radio, they announce “black weekends” which signify lots of Parisians heading south causing a rather lot of traffic. Everyone is finally on …

Inspired by her expat experiences in the South of France, Caroline Longstaffe began writing her blog “Shutters and Sunflowers” in 2012. Her stories transport you from the United States to Provence, with the occasional dispatch from the United Kingdom. Longstaffe’s articles, provide readers with well-researched “Travel Tips from an English …

Contributor blog post by Vaucluse Dreamer: A couple of months ago a friend, who owns a beautiful property in the centre of Saignon offered me the chance to have a small Exhibition of my jewellery there this summer. Over the last couple of years I have started making jewellery from …

As a painter in the South of France, you rarely feel alone. There are reminders everywhere of those who have gone before – of Cézanne in the countryside around Aix and of Gauguin and Van Gogh in Arles and Saint-Rémy. But not all these impressions are specific to a place. …

My books are called Curious Histories and my blog is called the Curious Rambler. I like the word curious because of its double meaning: On the one hand, it means eager to know or learn something – which definitely applies to me: I’ve always been a curious person. But on …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: The Musée Yves Brayer at Les Baux-de-Provence has an exhibition of photography by Henri Cartier-Bresson, who was a friend of Brayer in Paris. Cartier-Bresson, from a well-to-do family in Seine-et-Marne was given a Kodak Brownie as a child, the beginning of his love for photography. …