Those places in the world where spring arrives early (and stays) should be on your travel “bucket list.” When the mimosa begins blooming in late January, winter is almost over on the Côte d’Azur. However, like a cat playing with a ball of wool, spring takes patience in the rest …

Discovering Bonnieux Our family first visited Bonnieux during a week in Provence in early June 2003. We stayed in a nearby village and spent a few hours in Bonnieux one afternoon. The Luberon truly captivated all three of us. The following year we returned for a longer stay—six-and-a-half months—renting a …

The Gardanne Market It’s Sunday and I’m Heading to the market in Gardanne. It’s a cold, grey, wet morning — brumeux. I arrive at about 8:00, just as the market is beginning to open and park the car at the head of Boulevard Carnot, directly across the street from the …

A Lebanese Mezze consists of several small dishes for sharing with others. Every culture has its culinary creation to bring people together over a meal. For instance, Spanish tapas and American picnics! These are several recipes from Le Pistou Cooking School in Uzès for a workshop called Lebanese Bites. You …

One of the most endearing and favourite of all Provencal dishes is Petits Farcis or stuffed vegetables, also known as lu farçum in the Niçard (Nice) dialect. They are the perfect and easy family meal that can be served hot, cold, or warm and everyone loves to eat them. Petits Farcis are …

Within the Parc Naturel Régional des Alpilles are several villages, each with a distinctive character. Authentic Alpilles Villages Below, we highlight a few towns that are not typically on visitors’ itineraries. These villages have as much history and charm as their popular neighbours. But perhaps with some additional authenticity as …

We went to Avignon so Shirley could shop, so I took the opportunity to walk around and see what was new or different after our long absence. One of the first things I noticed, this was the first time in a long time that the Opera – Theater of Avignon …

Beautiful Alpilles Established in 2007, the Parc Naturel Régional des Alpilles covers the mountain range and its flanks. As a protected natural area, there are restrictions on construction and park usage. However, the artifacts from human settlements discovered in these hills date back to the Neolithic era, and the range …

One Saturday, I had the great pleasure to join a walking tour of Antibes. I already know a lot about Antibes’ history, including the buildings, museums, art and attractions, so I was interested in joining this tour and learning more. Demand for the tour was incredible; the tour was 10x …

Festivals and Fall Events in Provence Fall in Provence directs you towards a heartier menu. Enjoy meat (lamb, wild boar, taureaux, rabbit, fowl) roasted with herbes de Provence, root vegetables and delicious red wine blends. At this time of year, the hiking is fabulous, biking is possible, and golfers might …