My wife and I were on vacation in Italy, zooming along the autostrada near Florence when she suddenly started shouting and waving. “Pull over!” she yelled. “Right now! There’s a Decathlon!” That got my attention. I spun the wheels to the right and barely made it onto the off-ramp in …

Did you know Marseille has France’s oldest quincaillerie or hardware shop? It really is a must-visit if you are interested in traditional Provencal life. Take the magnificent big hand-graters, for instance – just the sort of gadget used in café kitchens many years ago to churn out carrots and cabbage …

Arts de la Table, Bastide We are blessed here in Provence to have the best ingredients when it comes to producing scents (and eating!). Grasse is the perfume capital of the world; not surprising considering the endless fields of lavender, roses, fruit blossom and wild scented herbs that create the …

Please no! Anything but that. Upon visiting Provence this past June, with the unusually high temperatures of 95-100 degrees, my pasty white, sun-deprived skin went into shock. I developed hives or eczema all over! What to do? I finally stopped in at the pharmacy in Bonnieux—the French pharmacy is the …

Sébastian and Agnes Krier shared the following about their architecture and design boutique, “Ce lieu ne pouvait que s’appeler Ouvrage: ce qui est produit par l’ouvrier, l’artisan ou l’artiste, le résultat du travail de ses mains et donc son œuvre.” This place could not be called anything but “Ouvrage.” The …

Cézanne finds himself marooned between the Foire aux Santons and woolly jumpers at the textile market. It seems strange having the Aix-en-Provence Christmas markets starting up against such a bright blue sky and warm sun, but there we are – the chalets are built and the children’s rides are already …

The retail stores and  shopping malls are decked with holiday decor signaling that it’s time to start thinking about gifts for everyone on your list. Fortunately, if there are cooks and food-lovers on your list, there are lots of options in price points that range from a few dollars to …

Contributor blog post by Victoria Koning @Mirabeau Wine During our visit to the Fragonard perfume factory in Grasse, we were quite impressed by the similarities between creating perfumes and creating wines. It’s especially poignant in the art of blending Provence rosés, which is incredibly technical to make. Our oenologists can …

I can’t help it – I love any opportunity to fuddle around an Antiques & Brocante market in France and the Antiques Art and You Festival over the August Bank Holiday weekend. It takes place in L’Isle Sur La Sorgue, and it’s now becoming a fixture in our Summer calendar. …

Returning to Provence’s Art de Vivre Frédéric Fekkai and Shirin von Wulffen are a power couple with great hair! They are also breathing new life into a beauty and lifestyle brand that epitomises the best of Provence – Bastide. Born in Provence, Fekkai’s career took him to the United States. …