Arles is a city that should be on every visitor’s itinerary while in Provence. There is Roman history, contemporary architecture, museums, shopping, gourmet food, and enough grit to capture your interest. It won’t take long to understand why Vincent Van Gogh found inspiration in this one-time Roman city or why …

The city of Arles, in what is now Provence, was essential for river trade during the Roman era. The Rhône River was a major route for transporting goods in both directions on the water and then inland. Vincent van Gogh spent over a year in Arles before moving to Saint …

Arles’s contemporary art scene is another reason visitors flock to the city. In this post, one of my favourite Uzès-based British artists, Gilly Beal, visits Arles and shares her impressions of Arles’s artistic renaissance and burgeoning contemporary art scene. Van Gogh in Arles Nestled amidst the inspiring landscapes of the …

Jeannie and her daughter, Megan, joined Virginie for a wonderful French immersion week in Provence. They stayed in the studio Mas des Pins during their time in the region. Both mother and daughter are art lovers, so Virginie suggested visiting Arles. The text in English and French (written by Virginie’s …

This week has flown by to the extent that it feels like someone has been playing with time. Whereas the days slipped comfortably by last week, these last seven days have hurtled past, with so much going on that it’s been hard to keep up. It felt like I’d stumbled …

Visible traces of Roman history weave throughout Provence, which is one of many reasons to visit the region. Below we highlight five (5) top places for evidence of the Roman era. #1 Roman Aix-en-Provence The Romans understood the need for freshwater for a settlement to thrive and survive. So, Entremont, …

The city of Arles is considered the gateway to the Camargue wetlands and Rhône River delta. It is the last major urban centre before leaving Provence’s southwestern boundary. In June 2021, LUMA Arles – an interdisciplinary creative campus – officially opened to the public in the former Parc des Ateliers. …

The Rhône and Durance rivers are like bookends creating fluid boundaries of the Bouches du Rhône (mouth of the Rhône) while providing irrigation for the department’s agricultural land. After an 800 km journey from its source, the Rhône Glacier in Valais, Switzerland, the Rhône River yawns lazily into the Mediterranean …

‘Lee Miller Photographe Professionelle’  focuses on one of the most intense and productive periods in the life of this intriguing (*) American photographer (1907–1977). During the 1930s, she was a fashion model but moved behind the camera to head her studio in New York.  She specialised as a fashion and …

Immortalized in Dante’s Inferno, Alyscamps, one of the most famous historical burial grounds outside of Rome, is a short walk from the centre of Arles in the southwestern corner of Provence. The day my tour group visited, there was no one else there except a few stray cats, and the …