Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: This is an annual musical programme of recitals, rehearsals and concerts in the lead up to the 68th ‘Festival d’Aix-en-Provence’. A 15€ pass will get you in to everything; otherwise you can pay 5€ entry…though some events are free. PARADE(S) is the big free concert …Continue reading …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Yet again I wonder how all this is affordable …compared to our base in England where we have been using the same small, chilly pool for decades. But this new swimming complex looks as though it will be lovely, so lucky for Venelles and for Aix …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Raising the Curtain on Filming in Provence This is the theme of a talk on the local film industry here in Provence at the IAU in Aix-en-Provence, on Tuesday May 3. It’s organised by the MAABN (Mediterranean Anglo-American Business Network), in partnership with the IAU. Provence …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Right here in Aix as it turns out! Le Parisien has just awarded that honour to La Maison d’Aix, a mansion built in 1789, in the Quartier Mazarin. Architect Laure Juhen has renovated the building in the spirit of a previous owner Madame Henriette Reboul, a …

Provence’s pine forests, Mistral winds and the summer symphony of the cigales fuel Tracy Rawles’ creative writing. Rawles published her first book Charlie’s World of Glittering Powers, in November 2015. Charlie is a cigale, a cicada (or at least inspired by the cicadas), this is a description of the book’s central …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: The repaving of the area outside the tourist office has been completed and I was really hoping for something a bit more attractive and tourist-friendly – some benches for instance wouldn’t go amiss. And why has Cezanne just been plonked down on the ground? …Continue …

Artists and Art Teachers in Provence Provence is an endless canvas for artists, writers, photographers and frankly anyone with a fragment of a creative side. A place famous for its magical light, Provence has inspired master painters Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso, Van Gogh and many of today’s creators (photos below). Tessa Baker …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: The traditional cafes in the Cours Mirabeau rarely serve patisseries with their morning drinks… and I never have the nerve to produce one out of a bag, which is what you can do in so many French villages. So I am often on the lookout for …

Château La Coste This vineyard is found just outside of Aix-en-Provence, near the town of Puy-Sainte-Réparade. It is not to be confused with the town of Lacoste (that will be another post). Paddy McKillen, a wealthy Irishman, purchased the old bastide and surrounding land in 2002. He is a man …

Launched in 1995, Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) Les Baux de Provence was a bold step for a dozen winemakers. They joined forces in an attempt to carve out a unique identity in the ocean of mediocre (at the time) Provencal wine. These wineries had fallen under the umbrella of the …