Take the girl out of France, but the country remains in her soul. Julia Girard-Gervois is the Owner and Tour Director of TripUSAFrance, a boutique travel agency based in Arlington, Virginia. In 2015, she and her husband launched the company along with her parents, who live in France. They want …

Holiday Wishes! The holidays are here, and it’s time to wish everyone Merry Christmas – Joyeux Noël and all the best for this joyful season. However, before we head out on a little technology break, it’s time to acknowledge all our terrific contributors. Time Out in Provence – What’s On …

Relax at Home Flairesse is the name of Claire McAlpine’s company. She offers massage and aromatherapy treatments in the comfort of your home in Provence. How did you land on this name? “Flair was a nickname my friends called me at university, and ‘esse’ from Latin means existence, the essence …

After all the December festivities, the holidays are a great time to disconnect from your e-devices and read. Whether you are searching for a gift or looking for a good book for yourself, these are some of our picks Holiday Reading List from Provence. Holidays Reads from Provence Discover the …

A House with Personality The Riviera Set: Glitz, Glamour, and the Hidden World of High Society is the latest book by author Mary S. Lovell, a biography about the rich, or famous, who spent time on the French Riviera from the 1920s to 1960. Many of these people gathered at …

This summer when we were in Provence visiting family and pre-planning for our group tour, I noticed a developing trend for appetizers. The traditional black olive tapenade is of course always present. However, there is a movement to use alternative ingredients to create hummus-like dips, I call these spreads ades. …

Biographies from Provence The following is a list of biographies of people who lived in Provence. And books on artists inspired by the region. These authors have done extensive research on their subjects. If you enjoy reading biographies or historical fiction, these titles interest you. Each book provides insight into …

Provence Anyone? There was some risk when I sent the email. “Ladies, who would like to join me in Provence to discover the region?” I wondered, who would come? Would they get along? How would the travel logistics work out? And, so on. The result was ten (yes 10!) ladies, …

Memoirs Inspired by Provence For many, Peter Mayle’s best-selling novel A Year in Provence was their introduction to the Provencal countryside. Images of the Côte d’Azur have long covered the pages of travel magazines. Still, Mayle’s descriptions of bumbling through a home renovation in the arrière-pays (translation: backcountry or hinterland) shifted …

Cézanne’s Studio Like most young artists learning to paint, I was attracted to and inspired by most of the impressionistic and post-impressionistic painters. I loved the work of Monet, Renoir, Matisse, Gauguin and Cézanne and many more. When I arrived in Aix-en-Provence for the first time, I rushed up the …