During one of my first jobs here in France, one of my colleagues challenged me to learn these French tongue twisters. I found this crumpled piece of paper in a pile of forgotten souvenirs under the bed the other day. I was compelled to go through the papers as my …

It’s Academy Award season, and as it was with me a year ago when I wrote of Marcel Pagnol, I am drawn back to Provence, in fact to his hometown of Aubagne. On this occasion it began last fall when I was discussing with my wife Benedicte, who is French, …

It took 20 visits to Provence before Keith Van Sickle and his wife decided to make the region their part-time home. A Northern California native, Van Sickle spent his early years on an island in the San Francisco Bay – Alameda, California. “It’s a sleepy town, an oasis of 1950’s …

Provence Gourmet This autumn, I was lucky to be able to participate in one of Gilles Conchy’s cooking classes in Aix en Provence. Gilles leads English cooking classes in Aix en Provence, Eygalières, and Marseille. Each class focuses on Provençal cooking, with particular regard for the different traditions of the …

Car companies and investors are spending billions in their attempts to place first in the electric vehicle battle – Elon Musk’s race is on. Maybe that was on his mind when entrepreneur David Lainé exited from Marseille’s St. Charles station one morning back in the summer of 2011 and noticed …

I can’t speak for the entirety of France but if you’re looking for expats in Provence here are a few suggestions. When I first moved to France I had it in my head that I would only meet French people. I soon learned that in the countryside, people was a …

If only the authors of guidebooks who drool over Provencal markets with such glowing, romantic prose could witness the scene today! The few brave traders in the Cours Mirabeau were packing up by 11, such was the wind; but this unlucky one didn’t strike camp fast enough. Estate agents’ publicity …

Contributor blog post by Jill @My Dreamy Provence: It’s always a joy to stumble across something different! I used to lunch at a cool little restaurant in the centre of Aix en Provence full of vintage furniture serving delicious organic soups, salads and tarts. It was my favourite place; a little …

Contributor blog post by Margo Lestz: Aix-en-Provence, the City of a Thousand Fountains Aix-en-Provence is known as the city of 1,000 fountains. However, since the folks of this area have a reputation for exaggeration, we should probably take that with a grain of salt. The real number might be closer to …

The ‘dig’ being carried out ahead of the redevelopment of the Place de la Madeleine has already yielded results in that skeletons are being exhumed and taken for examination. As expected, there was a 16-18th century cemetery beside the church. The archaeologists are also hoping to find objects. This historical …