Reading MFK Fisher’s Two Towns in Provence, you might be surprised that it was written so long ago. Cours Mirabeau, the cultural center of Aix, looks much like it did when Fisher and her two daughters sought solace at Les Deux Garçons or ambled down the boulevard so many decades …

You can believe there was a lot of competition and jealousy among artists in Aix. In fact, the poster boy for Aix-en-Provence, Paul Cézanne, was spurned by fellow artist and curator of The Museum of Aix from 1892 to 1925, Henri Pointier. Pointier, who never excelled to the degree that …

The south is a world of light. Luminescent brightness is the first, clearest and most lasting impression it makes when you arrive, and its absence is what hits you when you go back north. For a painter, the challenge is somehow to evoke this world using colours and canvas. It’s …

Cotignac’s permanent population hovers around 2,300 people. The official count swells on a sunny Tuesday when throngs of visitors appraise market stalls on the main street — Cours Gambetta. A column of plane trees provide welcome shade to vendors watching their stands that are heaving with tempting melons from Cavaillon, …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric Our French teacher explained to us that a guinguette was typically a make-shift café-bar, usually next to water, with strings of lights and music and bushes pour aller flirter. They were dotted around Paris for instance for workers at the weekends and of course were …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Starting with Marseille shops, the opening of Les Docks has been announced: 10th October. This is the long line of historical docks buildings that are opposite the new Terrasses du Port shopping centre. It’s taken 30 months to renovate the buildings and also excavate down …

Thomas Jefferson, Minister to France began his southern France travels in 1787 from Paris and that initiated his love for the region. Jefferson visited St Remy de Provence and Les Baux, learning about agriculture and antiquity. Jefferson tested the famous Roman-era baths in Aix-en-Provence. Read more on Ginger and Nutmeg’s …

By aixcentric Have you seen the newly-razed ground next to the Rotonde where Cézanne has been left standing looking bemused and besieged by tourists wanting to pose with Aix’s famous son? I read that the town authorities are trying to decide what to do with the area. Well here’s an …

Contributor blog post by: Aixcentric This is the view as you drive over the rocky mountains towards the Mediterranean from the very eastern edge of Marseille. The breathtaking Calanque de Sormiou is the setting for ‘Le Chateau’ a family-run restaurant established back in 1948. To be able to drive down …

By aixcentric What a great idea – 640 tonnes of sand to be dumped on the MUCEM esplanade to make a big beach for the summer. It will be open all day for walks, picnics at shaded tables, pétanque games, Ping-Pong and, on Sundays, dances. There will also be workshops …