Contributor blog post by Aixcentric This restaurant is 2 miles outside Jouques and feels quite remote, lost in Provencal trees and garrigue. But the interesting thing is that when we went for Sunday lunch, it was packed. I have since learned that it has a very enthusiastic local following, quite …

By aixcentric There weren’t of course any cameras around in 18th century Rome, London or Venice but right now in Aix, we can get a fairly accurate view of what these cities looked like thanks to careful and colourful paintings by Antonio Canaletto. Although some of his work on show …

Contributor blog post by aixcentric: Anyone who has been living in Aix for the past ten years will have witnessed the strong growth of restaurants in town, and specifically the increase in casual eating. La Provence recently reported that there are now nearly 700 places to eat in the commune …

By aixcentric We locals have been watching the ongoing work on the 300 year old mansion, the Hotel Caumont, for two years now as workmen repaired the roof, stonemasons worked on the ancient façade, and lorries drove in and out of what would be the garden area. Twenty million euros …

Contributor blog post by aixcentric: Celebrating 30 years of bringing contemporary dance to Aix, there is an exhibition of photography of the Ballet Preljocaj which is running until 20th September. There will be photos from the archives but also those taken by three photographers, one of whom is Jean-Claude Carbonne …

The thing I love about Provence is that it’s not Paris. What I mean is: Paris is obvious. There’s the Tour Eiffel, l’Arc de Triomphe, a whole slew of “must-see” tourist destinations. But Provence, on the other hand, still has a lot of hidden secrets that the average tourist is …

By aixcentric That’s the question posed by the new exhibition ‘Lieux Saints Partagés’ at MUCEM. All around the Mediterranean, populations are either Christian, Muslim or Jewish, each with their seemingly different religious observances, rituals and places of worship. This exhibition argues that there are far greater commonalities between them than …

It must have been a bit of a letdown for Sarah Pernet, the founder of Discover Provence, to meet with travel guru Rick Steves one week and myself the next. It is obvious why Discover Provence (established 2012) is on Mr Steves’ radar, this young company has achieved the number …

Petit-fils Aixcentric regularly cooks at his maternelle. What a great idea to get them mastering simple recipes so early. Four-year olds can go wild with the icing and sugar sprinkles! His yoghurt cake was delicious and using the empty yoghurt pot as a measure made it so very simple. Explore …

By aixcentric Every June, there’s a must-visit exhibition in Aix from a talented local family – painter Jill Steenhuis, her sculptor husband Sergio Ruffato plus their son Serge, also a sculptor. Jill paints in an impressionistic style and usually takes her inspiration from Aix, the Sainte-Victoire and the countryside around …