It would be difficult to call Emily Durand an expat at this stage. After living in the South of France for more than two decades, Emily is wholly immersed in the region with her family. Once the kids reached school age, she decided it was her time to launch a …

Arts de la Table, Bastide We are blessed here in Provence to have the best ingredients when it comes to producing scents (and eating!). Grasse is the perfume capital of the world; not surprising considering the endless fields of lavender, roses, fruit blossom and wild scented herbs that create the …

Surviving Provence is a humorous account of the people (and animals) who share author Barbara Farber’s daily life in the South of France. It is a far cry, she explains, from an ode to lavender and sunflowers. She writes: “Although my husband and I were both born in the United …

Wishing you a Perfectly Provence Holiday The holidays are finally upon us with the stockings hung by the fire and another year of terrific Perfectly Provence content is behind us. It is time to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and all the best for a joyful season. However, before we …

Sometime in early October, after the harvest, winemakers—mostly located in a small area of Provence at the base of Mont Sainte Victoire, between Aix-en-Provence and Trets—begin the annual tradition of making “vin cuit” or “cooked wine.” They each build a big fire of oak wood and fill a huge cauldron …

Provence’s natural beauty, rich cultural history and agreeable weather are some of the many reasons that one might choose to visit the region. However, it is the food and wine that will make you want to come back time and again. This article outlines a variety of available options for …

‘Cézanne at Home’ and a retrospective of the painter Tal Coat have recently opened at the Musée Granet, both worth a visit. ‘No painting by Cézanne will ever enter this museum’, proclaimed Henri Pontier who was curator in 1900. His attitude is made even worse by the fact that, during …

Provence in Autumn Almost anyone with an artistic eye – photographers, painters, Instagrammers – love Provence for its beautiful light. Famous artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gaugin Paul Cézanne and Pablo Picasso all captured the ever-changing luminosity on their canvases. Provence is glorious in any season, however during …

This beautiful vineyard at Les Arcs-sur-Argens is a must-visit, not just for its natural beauty and acclaimed wines but also for the outstanding Chapelle Sainte-Rosaline in the grounds. It not only contains artistic gems (Giacometti and Chagall) but also the 680-year-old body of the saint herself, reposing in the nave …

Head to the South of France After years of the same old holiday routines, the Christmas stockings are looking a bit ragged and plum pudding it still not your favourite dessert. Why not change it up this year and spend a week in Provence? Domaine de Palerme is available for a …