As a mother of 2 rugby-loving teenage boys, I know that there is potentially a very short shelf-life for any nice pieces of pottery in our house, which is such a pity. I must admit that both my hubby and I look forward to the day when we may be …

Contributor blog post by Access Riviera: Did you know that as a tourist in France you are entitled to claim back the Value Added Tax (VAT or TVA) on purchases over €175 made in a single store? You didn’t know that? Well, luckily for you this blog post will shed …

I was at the Carpentras flea market a couple weeks ago and came upon this 1920s album. I couldn’t help myself when I saw that the book was being sold with postcards as well. Despite most likely paying too much, the first 3 pages were filled with vintage postcards …Continue …

Contributor blog post by Access Riviera: February is approaching quickly and it brings a number of excellent festivals to the French Riviera ranging from food fairs to flower parades and world class carnivals. With half term school holidays for Zone B (Alpes Maritimes and the Var) falling on the dates 06 …

I cannot claim to be an art critic however I know what I like and this summer I was invited to a vernissage (from the French verb to varnish which is an interesting choice!). This preview event is usually by invitation and what better setting than Crillon-le-Brave? Nestling into the …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Aix’s lovely Hotel de Caumont is hosting an evening entitled ‘1715-1745: Hotel de Caumont et la vie musicale aixoise’ on Saturday. Leading local musician Guy Laurent will be leading the discussion and playing music from the period. …Continue reading here for details on this evening event this …

Contributor blog post by Access Riviera: Art, photography and wine are three of my favourite things and they will all combine into one evening on Saturday 23 January at a Fine Art prints preview (vernissage) evening by photographer Justin Gage hosted at La Ga(bi)leria in Antibes. La Ga(bi)leria is an organic …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: This is the lady advertising the current exhibition at the Hotel Caumont. Her image is swinging in the wind along the Cours Mirabeau, raising the question, as posed in the exhibition, is she a model of modesty clutching her little veil or is she an …

Book review of Patricia Wells’ The Provence Cookbook: 175 Recipes and a Select Guide to the Markets, Shops, & Restaurants of France’s Sunny South, Harper Collins Publishers, First Edition, New York, 2004. When I was a college professor, I used to tell my students that early on in their lives …

Provence is not all about lavender and rosé. Learn about Provence’s mysterious side in a three-part iBook series by photographer Andrew Squires in this post. Provencal postcards are dominated by fields of purple-lavender rows, stoic sunflowers against cobalt-sky backdrops, gnarled grapevines burdened with ripening fruit and endless groves of olive …