A man with hairy ears selling goat cheese, a nun blessing us with her wine!  Smiling locals selling linens, ribbons, baskets, and flowers,  cheese makers, olive growers, and an abundance of fresh produce. How can you not visit Uzès’ fabulous twice-weekly markets, the most vibrant in Provence! Every Wednesday and …

Contributor blog post by Caroline Longstaffe: Dining under the golden arches in Place aux Herbes, shaded by the broad sycamore branches in the square. Enjoying ‘feu de bois’ pizzas on a cobbled streets or a pretty terrace. Savouring French cuisine at its best in an elegant dining room or exquisite garden; just a …

The enchanting medieval bastide city of Uzès, just outside of Provence, in Languedoc Roussillon. Come and wander its cobbled streets, and admire its gently worn, shuttered buildings. Discover the Ducal château, its Medieval Garden and the iconic Fenestrelle tower. Continue reading here for the rest of Caroline’s post and why …

Recently, we introduced you to Shutters and Sunflowers, a blog about the Provencal landscape and many other things that inspire Caroline Longstaffe to write. Please read the full story here. The Longstaffe family lived in Provence for about 18 months in 2012-13 and were smitten. We asked Caroline if she …

Jessica and Elodie are celebrating an anniversary. These tourism graduates launched their travel agency Provence Authentic one year ago, in January 2015. Originally from Lyon, Jessica has lived in Provence for a decade, and Elodie is local. She was born in Carpentras, only 15kms away from their headquarters in Vacqueyras. …

Provence is not all about lavender and rosé. Learn about Provence’s mysterious side in a three-part iBook series by photographer Andrew Squires in this post. Provencal postcards are dominated by fields of purple-lavender rows, stoic sunflowers against cobalt-sky backdrops, gnarled grapevines burdened with ripening fruit and endless groves of olive …

Much has been written about Vincent Van Gogh’s life, the famous Dutch painter who led an expressive, tortured life. This statue le voleur de tournesol (the Sunflower Thief) by Gabriel Sterk may just capture the essence of Van Gogh’s work – as you never quite look at sunflowers, irises, olive trees …

We are experiencing the most wonderful autumn in the South of France.  For several weeks now, the mercury has been hitting the 20s, with a high of 28°c last week!  November is often lovely on the French Riviera, but these temperatures are even higher than normal.  The garden is still …

When we were first shown the ancient former farmhouse near Uzès (in the South of France) we now call home, I rejected it firmly with a resounding ‘No’. We had agreed that we didn’t want a third project in fifteen years: its desolate state, left for months forlornly empty, with dust …

The south is a world of light. Luminescent brightness is the first, clearest and most lasting impression it makes when you arrive, and its absence is what hits you when you go back north. For a painter, the challenge is somehow to evoke this world using colours and canvas. It’s …