For its fourth season, the Villa Carmignac presents The Imaginary Sea (La Mer imaginaire), an ideal subject for this idiosyncratic gallery:  part of it is housed in an old building with views to the sea below, while the other part is underground, a modern exhibition space beneath a glass-bottomed pool.  …

My visit to Fondation Carmignac, the newly-opened art centre at Porquerolles, last year was by far my favourite outing of 2018. I was lucky to get there just before it closed for winter, when lots of the exhibits went back to Paris. The centre re-opened with fresh artworks, on April …

Porquerolles is the largest of the 3 Iles d’Or (Islands of Gold), easily accessible from the coast. We did the short (20 min) crossing from La Tour Fondu, near Hyères, roughly a 90-minute drive from Aix-en-Provence, depending on traffic. I hadn’t visited Porquerolles for many years and was surprised at …

The Foundation Carmignac opened to the public on June 1st. This display of modern art is in a vast (1500 sqm) gallery inside a Provencal villa on the beautiful island of Porquerolles. Financier Edouard Carmignac has put the collection together. It includes works from the American Pop Art School, including …

Minutes away from the Cote d’Azur shoreline, this tiny outcropping is a world away from the glitz and glamour of Saint-Tropez. Porquerolles is one of three islands that form the Îles d’Hyères Archipelago. Only a 10-minute ferry ride from terra firma this spit of land is only 7 km (4.3 miles) …

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 …

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie is a picturesque village in the département Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, within the breathtaking Parc Naturel Régional du Verdon, whose headquarters are in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. It was our final stop on our exploration of Les Gorges du Verdon. Like Tourtour, Moustiers-Sainte-Marie is one of  Les Plus Beaux Villages de France  ~ the ‘Most …

The adventures begin in 1997 when Carole and Winston Bumpus visit Provence for the first time with two other couples. Their stay in a remote village in the Var provides a flavour of Provencal life away from the crowds and enough of a taste of the glitz and glamour of …

Where to See Art in Provence In a place that inspired so many famous artists, including Paul Cezanne, Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Nicolas de Stael, among countless others, there is no lack of opportunities to see art in Provence. We have compiled a list of places …

The wonderful thing about the Provence and the Côte d’Azur is the wealth of artistic talent, historical and present day. This reference guide lists museums and art venues by department within the region. We have attempted to be as comprehensive as possible but may have missed a few and will …