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 …

It never gets easier to leave Provence, in fact, it might get harder each time. After several years of spending time in the region, it seems like my list of “must see and should do” just gets longer. Maybe it is because most days are highlighted by an endless sky. …

Occasionally, you catch a flash of the sun on the windows, a fleeting hint that something magical is taking place on the North side of the Alpilles. Initially, the meandering road that leads to Château Romanin parallels the Aéro-Club de Saint-Rémy les Alpilles glider runway. The striking backdrop of limestone fingers, the …

Running mostly from east to west Provence’s small Alps – les Alpilles – are a small mountain chain, approximately 30km in length. The highest peak is not quite 500m above sea level, yet this outcropping holds almost mythical status in the region. These jagged limestone spires protected our ancient ancestors …