St Rémy de Provence is one of the most charming towns in Provence. Nestled at the foot of the Alpilles Mountains and surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, it’s a great place to spend a few days. Here are some fun things you can do while you’re there. Walk in …

Swirl-sniff-see-sip. And, sigh. There was a lot of that going on last Friday night in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence—it was the opening of the annual Fête du Vin. Fête du Vin – More than Wine The bussed-in tourists had left, leaving lucky locals and overnight visitors all to themselves to spend a leisurely …

This article was originally published in Global Living Magazine (December 2012), details and contact information have been updated. Historic Aix-en-Provence Magnetic Aix-en-Provence is one of the wealthier cities in France, with a long history of civilisation and an impressive roster of distinguished inhabitants. This city guide only begins to scratch the …

Family Vacation in Provence Those iconic images of rows of lavender, fields of sunflowers and bright red poppies, Roman ruins and cobblestone villages are actual landscapes of Provence, but unlikely to interest your children for an extended period. Whenever friends visit the Alpilles with their families, it has been our …

Contributor blog post by Keith Van Sickle: St-Rémy-de-Provence, where my wife Val and I live part of the year, is a beautiful Provençal town. It has a long history, starting with the original Roman city of Glanum—you can still see its ruins on the edge of town. St-Rémy is the …

The area around St-Rémy-de-Provence is wonderful for hiking. The Alpilles Mountains are crisscrossed with well-marked trails that offer fabulous views. But let’s face it, who wants to schlep through the mountains on a hot summer day? Isn’t there a better way to stretch your legs and see the beautiful countryside? …

Just ten minutes from the centre of St.-Rémy is a shady picnic spot known only to the locals. It sits along the shores of a lake created thousands of years ago by the Romans. When hordes of tourists crowd into town, it’s nice to take a break in a quiet …

Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of art. In just over a decade he created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, many of them in the last two years of his life. Saint-Paul-de-Mausole lies …

Contributor blog post by Keith Van Sickle: The Wednesday morning market in St.-Rémy is one of the best in Provence. And it is very popular, which makes parking a challenge. There are a few spots available in the pay lots and on the street, but they tend to fill up …

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 …