Sometimes you wake up suddenly from a dream only for it to disappear from grasp, but in other cases, that vision becomes clearer with time. What if your dream was to live in Provence? Over 25 years ago, Julie Whitmarsh and her husband Andy visited the Vaucluse for the first …

Contributor blog post by Vaucluse Dreamer: Heading back from L’Isle Sur La Sorgue market this week I thought I’d take the opportunity to stop at Cabrières D’Avignon and seek out a walk that I had heard about that follows some of the Mur de La Peste. The Mur de la Peste, …

After the cold days of winter, spring arrives with a light touch: green vegetables start to grace the markets and rich foods give way to lighter, zestier dishes. Vibrant colours and flavours excite the palate. The first asparagus spears make beautiful salads, fresh chevre and local bread turn simple salads …

Jane Dunning is addicted to France. “I’m a real Francophile and have stayed in more than one hundred towns, cities, villages and hamlets in France. Twenty-two of these have been in Provence, the shortest for one night, the longest for four months.” The Dunnings’ four-month stay was as acting caretakers …

Marseille wasn’t high on my list of places to visit. A weekend spent there to celebrate the birthday of a dear friend from Uzès totally changed my mind. On top of being an incredibly beautiful city with lovely, welcoming people, Marseille is for foodies like me. I’ve been to Marseille …

Relocating to the South of France is often a lifestyle choice, for those seeking a milder climate and slower pace of life. However, it is not every couple who willingly choose to spend their semi-retirement years managing a boutique, 5-bedroom B&B in a new country. In December 2010, Jane and …

Sweet canistrelli cookies are a Corsican specialty, which are available in many different flavours. Although the recipe comes from Corsica the cookies are easy to find in Provence, from grocery stores, to markets to specialty shops.

Most French people like sauce and herb flavouring, but not much spice. Many expats move to lovely small towns in Provence and after a couple months being spoiled with ratatouille, slow cooked lamb, bouillabaisse and all other French Mediterranean delicacies, they start asking where is all the where is all the foreign …

This market is so big you need a little map! Forgive my silly map-drawing skills… Arles Market on Saturdays The Arles Saturday market is one of the largest in Provence. Each of the 450 vendors have an average of 5-metre large stands. If you arrive early, you’ll see the jostling …

Mary Kay Seales calls the U.S. Pacific Northwest home. During much of the year, she works as both a freelance copywriter and as a writing professor, for international students, at the University of Washington, in Seattle. However, she has also lived and worked in a long list of diverse destinations …