Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Aix centre-ville has been pretty much graffiti-free since Madame le Maire waged war on the taggers, paying a company to remove them within 48 hours. And she was surely right to do so as much of it was just a mess. But increasingly, resourceful shop-owners are …

Author Mary Lou Longworth and her family have lived in Provence for nearly 20 years. They long ago fell under the spell of the natural Provencal beauty studded with olive trees, vineyards and cobalt sky. Life in France has included a few expat struggles and the birth of series of …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: The traditional cafes in the Cours Mirabeau rarely serve patisseries with their morning drinks… and I never have the nerve to produce one out of a bag, which is what you can do in so many French villages. So I am often on the lookout for …

Contributor Blog Post By Aixcentric: ‘L’art d’apprendre le francais’ and ‘l’art de vivre en Provence’ are combined for those signing up for courses with Destination Francais. It’s an Aix-based company started by two French teachers, tired of the classroom-based teaching methods they’d been tied to in the traditional system. They …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: ‘Marie Georgette’ is tucked away in Aix’s Passage Agard, just off the Cours Mirabeau. It’s the creation of two brothers whose stated aim is to offer ‘specialities new-yorkaises et londoniennes’ adapted to French tastes and based on quality local ingredients. The menu has lots of creative …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Thinking about the question-marks over the authenticity of the Venus (from the art collection of the Prince of Liechtenstein) which was on show at the Hotel de Caumont, I was reminded of an experiment which took place last year at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London. It’s …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Driving down to the airport recently I noticed that work seems to be coming on well at the 3.6km road-widening chantier. It’s a notorious spot for fatal accidents (12 between 2004 and 2014) and rush-hour bottlenecks for the 40,000 motorists who use this road daily. So …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: This post may be a little longer than usual…but that is a reflection of the wide variety of activities at Aix’s ‘English Bubble’. Even if you’ve heard of it, you may not realise just how much manager Melina offers there…and this info may well be worth …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: This exhibition brings together many of the paintings and sculptures that the musée Granet has collected over the past decade. The museum has, since its inception, been the recipient of donations from various local aristos and painters, but it is increasingly buying works to enrich …

Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: This café had only been open 9 weeks when I visited in August so it was good to revisit it and see how things were going. Young British owners Alex and Ben report lots of activity and it was certainly busy yesterday, maybe a result of …