Provence’s pine forests, Mistral winds and the summer symphony of the cigales fuel Tracy Rawles’ creative writing. Rawles published her first book Charlie’s World of Glittering Powers, in November 2015. Charlie is a cigale, a cicada (or at least inspired by the cicadas), this is a description of the book’s central …

Artists and Art Teachers in Provence Provence is an endless canvas for artists, writers, photographers and frankly anyone with a fragment of a creative side. A place famous for its magical light, Provence has inspired master painters Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso, Van Gogh and many of today’s creators (photos below). Tessa Baker …

Here’s a recommendation for lunch, which will take you right off the beaten track and far away from tourist groups. Don’t read on if you are looking for fine dining and sophistication. Chez-le-Garde won’t offer you that. But for me, it was a truly Provencal experience a great lunch place …

The traditional cafes in the Cours Mirabeau rarely serve patisseries with their morning drinks… and I never have the nerve to produce one out of a bag, which is what you can do in so many French villages. So I am often on the lookout for somewhere to get a …

Château La Coste This vineyard is found just outside of Aix-en-Provence, near the town of Puy-Sainte-Réparade. It is not to be confused with the town of Lacoste (that will be another post). Paddy McKillen, a wealthy Irishman, purchased the old bastide and surrounding land in 2002. He is a man …

Launched in 1995, Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) Les Baux de Provence was a bold step for a dozen winemakers. They joined forces in an attempt to carve out a unique identity in the ocean of mediocre (at the time) Provencal wine. These wineries had fallen under the umbrella of the …

This post may be a little longer than usual…but that is a reflection of the wide variety of activities at Aix’s ‘English Bubble’. Even if you’ve heard of it, you may not realise how much manager Melina offers there…and this info may well be worth passing on to learn about …

Contributor blog post by Jill Barth: Legendary Rhône wine estate, Maison M. Chapoutier recently announced acquisition of the Provençal domaine, Château des Ferrages. Château des Ferrages is located between Aix-en-Provence and Saint-Maximin near the commune of Pourcieux. The domaine produces Côtes-de-Provence AOP and …Continue reading here to find out why the limestone terroir …

It was October, and we were back in Sablet with friends Steve and Mary from Michigan. One of our morning rituals is to sit around the kitchen table drinking petit cafes and reading our iPads and English language papers. Invariably the question is asked, usually by Mary, “Michel, what’s the …

The Mystery of the Lost Cezanne is Mary Lou Longworth’s fifth novel; number six will be published in September 2016. Her first book Death at the Château Bremont took years to write, but since 2011, she has been hard at work writing murder mysteries based in or near to Aix-en-Provence. Keep …