This year there has been a severe drought in southern Europe, as several heat waves have hit the countries. In Provence, the whole summer felt like one long heat wave (canicule), with temperatures above 30 degrees mid-September in many locations. As a result, virtually all departments in France experienced some …

I’ve only been in Provence once during lavender season. It was many years ago when everything in the region was new to me and I was much less adventurous. As a result, I didn’t see much lavender and have regretted it ever since. This year I wanted to be here …

Sophie Claire just published her latest novel, An Escape To Provence. Her writing features uplifting emotional stories with their heart in Provence, where she spent her childhood summers. Half French, half Scottish, Sophie Claire was born in Africa and grew up in England. She felt she didn’t belong anywhere – …

If you are here because you have already read about my brief visit to Avignon, you probably recall that I spent a few days there last fall – my first trip back to France after 22 months of absence and my first visit to this wonderful city. Picking up the …

Our 2022 summer menu comes from Emma Kershaw, who lives in the South of France near the Spanish border. Start the evening with a savoury octopus pie from Sète, followed by a chilled soup, then the Catalan variation of fish stew and a sweet fruit finish. In June 2016, several …

Since 2010, the Kershaw family, Emma, her husband Chris and their son Louis have lived in the Languedoc-Roussillon. The family settled in the Corbières wine region, one of the largest AOCs in this part of France. Passionate about gastronomy and terroir they chose the foothills of the Pyrenees to establish …

It had been quite a few years since we visited Aigues-Mortes, so when cousin Jean-Marc suggested we go somewhere on the sea, I suggested we go there. I still recall the first time we went to Aigues-Mortes, years before buying our house in Sablet, with Tante Edith, Jean-Marc’s mother. Aigues-Mortes …

The massif looks like a fortified stone ridge or a sharp triangle pointing to the sky, depending on how you approach Mont Sainte-Victoire. Regardless of the time of day or season, the only certainty is that the mountain, located on the outskirts of Aix-en-Provence, never looks the same twice. Artists …

After living in Provence for a few years and running holiday rental apartments in the heart of Apt, Jen and Chris Mallon continue their exploration of the region. They are wonderful hosts and always happy to help guests with ideas for sightseeing, avoiding the crowds, and some of their favourite …

Named after a rocky outcrop in Pennes-Mirabeau, the 18th-century Pallières windmill stopped working sometime between 1862-66. Finally, after a lengthy restoration project commencing in 2019, the mill is functioning and open for visitors. Once again, sitting on its rocky ledge, the Pallières windmill has operational blades and a dedicated miller …