
Grimaud my favourite village near the sea
Contributor blog post by Jill Cowdry: A favourite run by car in Provence is the twisty road sweeping through pine, oak and chestnut trees from the A8 (Aix to Cote D’azur highway) down the D558 to the sea. It’s a little heartstopping in places (if you don’t like heights) but …
Contributor blog post by Jill Cowdry: A favourite run by car in Provence is the twisty road sweeping through pine, oak and chestnut trees from the A8 (Aix to Cote D’azur highway) down the D558 to the sea. It’s a little heartstopping in places (if you don’t like heights) but …

Glamorous Nice and a funky little hotel
Contributor blog post by Jill Cowdry: All aboard…. time to jump on the TGV ..my favourite way to travel. Aix to Nice close to the dreamiest of coastline. Via Toulon then a brief diversion inland to vineyards near Draguignan, it meanders snake-like with great ease close to the coast. …
Contributor blog post by Jill Cowdry: All aboard…. time to jump on the TGV ..my favourite way to travel. Aix to Nice close to the dreamiest of coastline. Via Toulon then a brief diversion inland to vineyards near Draguignan, it meanders snake-like with great ease close to the coast. …

Ask a Local: Why Visit Arles?
Much like her decision to follow a good looking French photographer to his native land. The couple were struck by a coup de coeur (love struck) when they spent one fateful night in Arles in 2003. You can read the full story in Heather’s blog post here. Whether you are …
Much like her decision to follow a good looking French photographer to his native land. The couple were struck by a coup de coeur (love struck) when they spent one fateful night in Arles in 2003. You can read the full story in Heather’s blog post here. Whether you are …

Saorge: A Little Mountain Town with a Big Heart
After spending four weeks in a tiny town in Provence near Aix, my husband, son, and I decided for a change of scenery. We packed up our many, many suitcases into a clown car-sized Peugeot, and drove two hours northeast to the picturesque mountain town of Saorge. I’m willing to …
After spending four weeks in a tiny town in Provence near Aix, my husband, son, and I decided for a change of scenery. We packed up our many, many suitcases into a clown car-sized Peugeot, and drove two hours northeast to the picturesque mountain town of Saorge. I’m willing to …

Paul Cezanne Inspired Recipe for Leg of Lamb
The climate in Provence is not well-suited to cattle farming, so sheep and goats have roamed the hills and pastures in the region for centuries. As a result, Provencal markets are filled with an endless selection of goat (chèvre) and sheep (brebis) cheeses, and you can always find lamb in …
The climate in Provence is not well-suited to cattle farming, so sheep and goats have roamed the hills and pastures in the region for centuries. As a result, Provencal markets are filled with an endless selection of goat (chèvre) and sheep (brebis) cheeses, and you can always find lamb in …

September Harvest
The mornings are crisp all of a sudden. The days are still hot. The harvest, of just about everything, is in full swing. I went for a walk and followed the smell of a skip full to the brim of grape skins before I stepped into the leaking juice running …
The mornings are crisp all of a sudden. The days are still hot. The harvest, of just about everything, is in full swing. I went for a walk and followed the smell of a skip full to the brim of grape skins before I stepped into the leaking juice running …

MFK Fisher’s Cours Mirabeau: Unchanged Over Time
Reading MFK Fisher’s Two Towns in Provence, you might be surprised that it was written so long ago. The 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 …
Reading MFK Fisher’s Two Towns in Provence, you might be surprised that it was written so long ago. The 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 …

Over My Dead Body: Musée Granet Fulfills Its Destiny with Cézanne
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 …
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 …

Painting the South
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 …
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 …

Need 5 Reasons to visit Cotignac
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, …
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, …