Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: The town authorities are in sell-off mode, wishing to divest themselves of buildings that aren’t functional and are costing too much to maintain. First up is the Hotel de Valbelle in rue Mignet which currently houses the sous-prefecture. It’s where you have to go for various …

The Alpes-Maritimes department in south-east France, including the world-famous Côte d’Azur, is home to several hundred medieval hill villages, fortified towns and ruined iron age camps and many are close to Nice.  The “villages perchés” vary from little more than a pile of ruins to perfectly renovated sophisticated small towns…Continue …

Famous artists such as Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso and Van Gogh captured the “painter’s light” and the stunning, natural beauty of Provence. Recently, we featured three talented artists based in the South of France a region that continues to inspire and bolster their creative confidence. In case you missed their stories, …

Walk number one in the local green guide is 11 kilometres – Vaucarlanque Starting at the Chateau in Saint Saturnin Les Apt follow the green markers heading West. There are superb views over the old reservoir, the Perreal with the Luberon behind. There are a number of …Continue reading here …

This article was previously published on Ginger and Nutmeg. Cistercian Abbeys Classified as a French historic monument in 1840 L’Abbaye du Thoronet restoration work started the following year and continues today. The Cistercian Thoronet Abbey is the third “sister” to abbeys Silvacane and Sénanque in Provence. These religious structures are …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Lunch today at Le Cercle du Progres in Saint-Martin-des-Pallieres in the Var, a restaurant that is also the village bar, the grocery shop, the fruit-and-veg outlet, the bread provider, the post office and the purveyor of Var Matin. What a great idea. The pretty village …

Contributor blog post by Access Riviera: This post was previous posted on  ‘All About France’ monthly blog link-up hosted by Lou Messugo. School returned from the summer holidays this week and with la rentrée out of the way what a great excuse to share some of my favourite locations throughout the French …

 “Thirty-five minutes from St Tropez” I first learnt of the concept of house-sitting on holiday in 2006. We had rented an apartment in a lovely house just south of La Garde Freinet, a small town in the Var, about twenty minutes from Saint-Tropez. I realised that house-sitting might be a …

The fish scraps and a few herbs were thrown into a pot of boiling salty water, this meager meal marked the end of a long day for the fishermen of Marseille. Fast forward to the present day and this fish soup is no longer considered a humble meal. You can …

Much like her decision to follow a good looking French photographer to his native land. The couple were struck by a coup de coeur (love struck) when they spent one fateful night in Arles in 2003. You can read the full story in Heather’s blog post here. Whether you are …