Any who visits Uzés, France is in awe of the Château de Duché. It’s the centrepiece of the town and home to the Duke of Uzés — the oldest ducal peerage in France. If France was still a kingdom, the Duke of Uzés would rank just below “princes of the …

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 …

Beaucaire is a small town in the Gard department, located on the banks of the Rhône River and the start of the Rhône-Sète canal. The name Beaucaire means beautiful stone. There is evidence of a Gallo-Roman settlement in this hilly area as early as 11 BC. During the Roman era, …

Iconic Promenade des Anglais The celebrated 7-kilometre coastal boulevard between the sea and palm trees offers superb views of the Bay of Nice and gives the city its unique identity. The openness and long span of the uninterrupted path gives a sense of freedom and space that is found nowhere else. …

Contributor blog post by Ashley Tinker: I came across this document in a pile of papers in a French flea market. It’s dated 1896. I find details like this really indicative of their time and culture. For example, the imagery of a military hat, canon, soldiers, rifle, and sword are most …

Contributor blog post by Ashley Tinker: Robin and I drove over the Alpilles to see the Transhumance pass through the town of Saint Remy de Provence. The Transhumance is when, in the Spring, the sheep from the southern plains are led back up to the cooler mountains to graze on …

Le Fête des Gardians is the annual festival in Arles celebrating the lifestyle and traditions of the gardians (basically the French version of cowboys that rear bulls for delicious daube provençal). There’s an enormous parade, blessings of the animals, a queen is elected and to top it all off …Continue …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: The tourists sitting in the sun outside cafés in the Place aux Huiles and the Cours Estienne d’Orves probably don’t realise that they are perched above an ancient system of canals that dates back at least to Roman times. I am indebted to the website …

There was a very interesting talk in St.-Rémy-de-Provence the other night, about women in the French Resistance.  It focused particular attention on St.-Rémy, where I live part of the year. The talk was organized by the local historical society and featured two historians who specialize in the subject.  The event …

In the centre of the pretty village of Saint Saturnin les Apt is a peaceful square (home to the vibrant Tuesday morning market), and to one side is a small garden area that sits in front of a dramatic stone wall, which is a memorial to the dramatic and devastating …