Hilda Stearn tries to visit Provence every November in time for the Christmas markets. Here, is the story from her 2014 visit: A bit of artistic license perhaps as our visit was in early December! However, it is something of a ritual that we visit the Christmas market in Avignon …

Need some ideas for souvenirs and presents to take home? Check out Christmas Presents from Provence and kitchen essentials for an aspiring Provencal cook. Speaking of Christmas the “marchés de noël” starts up in every town and village in late November. Of course there is food, that pretty much goes …

Persimmon or ‘Kaki’ fruit. These beautiful fruits are meant to be picked after all the leaves have fallen off the tree. When I asked my local greengrocer what to do with them – she picked one up in front of me and devoured it – with the juice all over …

Famous artists such as Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso and Van Gogh captured the “painter’s light” and the stunning, natural beauty of Provence. Recently, we featured three talented artists based in the South of France a region that continues to inspire and bolster their creative confidence. In case you missed their stories, …

This article was previously published on Ginger and Nutmeg. Cistercian Abbeys Classified as a French historic monument in 1840 L’Abbaye du Thoronet restoration work started the following year and continues today. The Cistercian Thoronet Abbey is the third “sister” to abbeys Silvacane and Sénanque in Provence. These religious structures are …

I’ve been thinking a lot about Uzès recently – walking, looking, taking photographs and looking at photographs. But there’s been more time spent staring at canvases on which I’ve tried to capture something of the essence of the town. From my studio I can see the Duché, the cathedral and …

 “Thirty-five minutes from St Tropez” I first learnt of the concept of house-sitting on holiday in 2006. We had rented an apartment in a lovely house just south of La Garde Freinet, a small town in the Var, about twenty minutes from Saint-Tropez. I realised that house-sitting might be a …

Ashley of Curious Provence writes about her favourite market stand, and a trip to an enormous pottery market held every August in Aubagne. Yesterday, I went to one of Europe’s five largest pottery markets. For the past weekend, the bi-annual Aubagne Argilla Marché Potier brought the city, best known for …

Tasha Powell says she reinvented herself after a corporate career in product development for sporting goods. That might not be entirely accurate. It could be that Tasha is finally allowing her Francophile foodie to rule the day. From Allentown, Pennsylvania and Penn State University to living in Provence while she …

The climate in Provence is not well-suited to cattle farming, so sheep and goats have roamed the hills and pastures in the region for centuries. As a result, Provencal markets are filled with an endless selection of goat (chèvre) and sheep (brebis) cheeses, and you can always find lamb in …