Picnic is a universal term for creating a culinary experience in nature with some of your favourite portable foods. The French, though, take the word pique-nique to an elevated culinary level! My experiences in North America pale in comparison to the memorable pique-nique outings I have experienced in Provence. Start with …

Go visit the Pont du Gard if, for no other reason, this “masterpiece” has been standing for 2000 years! Our favourite Roman ruin in the South of France is the Pont du Gard, the aqueduct bridge that crosses the Gardon River about 60 km (37 miles) from our house in Sablet, …

Travel and Literature: two passions that usually go hand in hand! After all, surprising stories are what we look for in books and the most diverse scenarios in the world. One of the most inspiring places in this context is Provence. Lavender fields, mountain inland villages, historic cities, nature parks, …

Here in the South of France, we consider ourselves a little Spanish and a bit Italian at the same time. They say everything west and north of Marseille is considered Spanish whilst everything east of Toulon is inclined towards Italy. This is of course best represented in terms of food. …

Cassis is a picturesque town a little over 90 minutes from Sablet snuggled at the bottom of a steep bowl of land along the Mediterranean Sea between calanques (small coastal fjords with tall cliffs), about 25 km east of Marseille. Picture Perfect Setting The village of Cassis is set on …

Cocoa and Lavender reached a milestone 10th birthday in February – 10 years and over 500 recipes published. At the beginning, I had no idea what to write. I had never taken a food photo, not even surreptitiously in a restaurant. I didn’t have a clue about how blogs work. …

Hilltop Village La Cadière-d’Azur is a small medieval village perched on the edge of a cliff on the hill across from Le Castellet in the south-west of the Var region. After we finished our walk-about Le Castellet, we decided that since we were in the area, we should cross the valley …

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Aix-en-Provence? Is it the tree-lined Cours Mirabeau, with its elegant, sun-drenched buildings and cafés buzzing with activity? Maybe the many fountains that make Aix so famous? Or the city’s best-known hometown hero, the Post-Impressionist painter Paul Cézanne? …

Narrowing down the reasons to visit this corner of France to only 10 is a difficult task. Provence covers broad geography in the southeastern section of the country. It’s here where the Rhône River reaches the Mediterranean, and the Southern Alps give way to fields and beaches. The Romans left …

Americans Susan and Sam Gish moved to Aix-en-Provence two years ago. It’s unlikely that this Francophile couple’s relocation to France, from Philadelphia, was a surprise to any of their food industry friends. During previous travels to France, Susan and Sam discovered the influence of terroir in the different French wine …