Contributor blog post by Michel: Lacoste is a well-preserved village that sits on a mountain ridge with great views to the east across a valley filled with vineyards and orchards to Bonnieux and the Grand Luberon Mountains. At the top of the village are the ruins of the castle of …

There is more to Avignon than the Palais des Papes and the Pont d’Avignon, just across the Rhone River is an old monastery called la Chartreuse in Villeneuve les Avignon. Read about La Chartreuse a beautiful restored structure that is now state owned and is the home of the Centre National …

Contributor blog post by Access Riviera: This month’s contribution to #AllAboutFrance blog link up (hosted by Lou Messugo) was inspired by a conversation with a man I bump into often at a cafeteria where I regularly go. He is an unassuming pleasant man who is brimming with interesting stories and he …

Contributor Blog Post by Access Riviera: Becks recently celebrated her birthday – Happy belated to @AccessRiviera! She also shares some great information on the Calendar of Saints… Today is my birthday (Becks, not Access Riviera’s), hooray to me! Today I share my birthday – 27 January – with Saint Angèle……..WHO …

How is Valentine’s Day celebrated in France? As it turns out, the day is actually is quite linked to French historical customs.  As far back as the middle ages, the belief was that birds started mating in the middle of February. Evidence from the 14th century, stressed a romantic theme …

Writer Alphonse Daudet described his affection for the town of Fontvieille and its windmills as follows: “Ce coin de roche qui m’etait une patrie et dont on retrouve la trace – êtres ou endroits – dans presque tous mes livres” The translation: This corner of rock was a homeland to …

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 …

Contibutor blog post by Victoria Koning @Mirabeau Wine: Sir Francis of Assisi established the tradition of nativity scenes in 1223 with live enactments by people and animals during the midnight mass on Christmas eve in his church of Greccio, Italy. The tradition halted after the French Revolution, when many churches …

With its sobering history the story of the incredible Malpasset Dam that ruptured on December 2, 1959 killing 421 is definitely worth a visit if you are near Fréjus. For a relaxing drive through an uncrowded part of Provence the Vallee de Jabron in Haute Provence has stunning vistas with …

The game of pétanque, sometimes called boules is a form of religion in Provence. Most villages have an official or unofficial boules pitch. The more elaborate centres will even have a “clubhouse” offering refreshments. The word pétanque is Provencal in origin from the word petanca, which means “feet anchored”. The game in its’ …