Memoirs Inspired by Provence For many, Peter Mayle’s best-selling novel A Year in Provence was their introduction to the Provencal countryside. Images of the Côte d’Azur have long covered the pages of travel magazines. Still, Mayle’s descriptions of bumbling through a home renovation in the arrière-pays (translation: backcountry or hinterland) shifted …

By Vaucluse Dreamer: By the start of November, our little place was in a state of chaos in readiness for the work to start. The rooms were piled high with relocated furniture & building supplies and Andy had laid new Travertine floors throughout the 2 main spaces upstairs that would …

House Search in the Alpilles Not everyone would have the vision and know how to transform a tiny 17th-century farm building into a bright, inviting pied-à-terre. The house was in poor condition, its last renovation dated from the 1970s as evidenced by the orange and brown colour palette. However, it …

Valentine’s Day Menu Chef Eric Fraudeau created this special menu for February 14th for our Perfectly Provence followers. The chef and his wife Yetunde are the power couple behind Cook’n with Class with cooking school locations in Paris and Uzès. The team has developed a wide variety of cooking classes, hands-on …

French Riviera an Artistic Book Whether you have been to the French Riviera countless times or have always dreamed of the place, Virginia Johnson’s “Travels Through the French Riviera” is an insider’s guide from an artist’s perspective. Johnson is a Canadian designer and illustrator, and her book is a compilation …

Take a November Break Sadly, the month of November does not have the relaxed feel of those long mid-July days, the stress of back-to-school (la rentrée) in September, or the anticipation of the December holidays. So, why not insert a bit of excitement into this dull month and gather some …

The Musée Cantini has recently re-opened and is hosting an exhibition of paintings from Glasgow’s Burrell Collection, itself now closed for renovation. Sir William Burrell, a member of a wealthy Scottish ship-building family, was an avid collector of art and amassed 9000 items he donated to Glasgow in 1944.  He …

Diving into Provence Ten years after Peter Mayle’s book “A Year in Provence” was published, Georgina Causton and her partner decided to spend a sabbatical year (1999) in Provence. Completely enchanted by the lifestyle in the South of France they never returned to live in London. Suddenly, they found themselves …

Born in the United Kingdom (UK) to parents who worked in the diplomatic service, Deborah Lawrenson spent much of her childhood moving around the world to China, Kuwait, Europe (Belgium and Luxembourg) and Singapore. After completing English studies at Cambridge University, Lawrenson worked as a journalist in London. Today, she …

Ashley Tinker is the photographer behind the beautiful (and popular) Curious Provence Instagram feed, she is also the creator and writer of the blog by the same name. Originally from Montreal, Canada, Ashley headed to Florence, Italy for fine art school. You can probably guess that for someone who is …