Cocoa and Lavender reached a milestone 10th birthday in February – 10 years and over 500 recipes published. At the beginning, I had no idea what to write. I had never taken a food photo, not even surreptitiously in a restaurant. I didn’t have a clue about how blogs work. …

Hilltop Village La Cadière-d’Azur is a small medieval village perched on the edge of a cliff on the hill across from Le Castellet in the south-west of the Var region. After we finished our walk-about Le Castellet, we decided that since we were in the area, we should cross the valley …

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Aix-en-Provence? Is it the tree-lined Cours Mirabeau, with its elegant, sun-drenched buildings and cafés buzzing with activity? Maybe the many fountains that make Aix so famous? Or the city’s best-known hometown hero, the Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne? …

Narrowing down the reasons to visit this corner of France to only 10 is a difficult task. Provence covers broad geography in the southeastern section of the country. It’s here where the Rhône River reaches the Mediterranean, and the Southern Alps give way to fields and beaches. The Romans left …

Americans Susan and Sam Gish moved to Aix-en-Provence two years ago. It’s unlikely that this Francophile couple’s relocation to France, from Philadelphia, was a surprise to any of their food industry friends. During previous travels to France, Susan and Sam discovered the influence of terroir in the different French wine …

Enamoured with Provence, Caroline Longstaffe is one of our regular contributors. Her blog, Shutters and Sunflowers, is about passion, living the journey and not waiting to get to the destination. A traveller at heart, Caroline says she was most probably born under a wandering star. Born in England, she lives …

Perfectly Provence is an essential website resource for visitors and residents alike. Consider us your concierge, with an address book of places we have tried, visited and recommend. You are in the right place if you plan to explore the South of France and the French Riviera. Click the links …

A Guest Post: Is there anyone who would not dream of visiting Provence? Just think about this region and images of lavender fields, the azure sea, and market produce appear in your head. Provence is just as you imagine! It is worth noting that Provence is not a cheap tourist …

Barely three months ago, many of us had never heard of Coronavirus or Covid-19. Now, we are glued to our newsfeeds and stunned by the rapidly changing environment. The health impact is real and terrifying, and the economic consequences are likely far-reaching. The terms self-isolation, shelter-in-place, lockdown, confinement have moved …

With the large geographic footprint of Provence visiting the entire region in one trip, or a lifetime is nearly impossible. In high season (July and August), long drives and even longer lines should make you think twice about extended road trips. Instead, we suggest picking an activity each day and …