It’s been a long time since I last posted about a cycle ride in the area, that’s not because we haven’t been cycling, in fact, the opposite is true. This area is so good for cycling, and even though we thought we had been along most of the main routes, …

This guest post is by Susana Iwase Hanson, the founder of Provence Living Cotignac.  Susana is multi-talented and tri-lingual. She lives with her family in the Var in the beautiful, rural village of Cotignac (read more about her interesting backstory here). But after living on many continents, big city living …

There’s a new obsession running around in my head: “visit as many of France’s ‘Les Plus Beaux Villages‘ as I possibly can.”  So far, I’ve seen only 10 out of some 156 “authentic” Les Plus Beaux Villages. I have a lot of travelling to do. Les Plus Beaux Villages There …

In February, Author Gayle Padgett and her husband Ralph drove to the Côte d’Azur to visit friends who live near Menton.  There are many reasons to visit this coastal city. The citrus festival (Fête du Citron) is a big draw for visitors in mid-winter. The rest of the year, as …

Fashion: The Provence Market Michele and Jean-Marie are a husband and wife team with a vision, complementary work experiences and a passion for Provence. So why not leverage that textbook combination and create a new fashion brand – The Provence Market? As a traveller, one cannot help but feel that …

I told you in a previous post that “A Good Year” starring Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard is my favourite American/British-made movie set in the South of France. The film is directed by Ridley Scott, who lives in the Luberon and is based on a Peter Mayle novel. The movie …

Hungry during the afternoon when restaurants and grocery stores are closed in Provence? Then head up to Chez Auzet at the top of Ménerbes for the most delicious quiche for just five euros! If you want to splurge, you can spend seven euros and get a salad with your quiche. …

This article “Twenty Years Living in Aix-en-Provence”  was originally published on author M. L. Longworth’s website. The post is her reflective view of how the city of Aix-en-Provence has changed in the last two decades, and of those staples that make the city unique. Our decision to move to France …

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, it was Mayle’s descriptions of bumbling through a home renovation in the arrière-pays (translation: backcountry or hinterland) that shifted our …

One of my summer highlights is the chance to catch up with author Patricia Sands during her annual visit to Provence. Sands is a remarkable person. She is a wife, mother, grandmother, writer, photographer and a possiblitarian. Yes, for Patricia Sands, it is possible to achieve anything in life if …