Access to the Calanques National Park is controlled this summer due to damage to the ecosystem caused by the burgeoning numbers of visitors and increasing fire risks.  The Calanque de Sugiton, which used to attract up to 2,500 people daily, is limited to 400 entries in peak season. Pre-booking one …

With Mexican origins, the Margarita is a popular summer cocktail with a sharp, citrus kick. Tart, zingy and satisfying a Margarita is a refreshment that marks those sun-kissed summer moments. However, in the South of France rosé is often the go-to drink for an easy-drinking toast with loved ones. With …

The team at Maison Mirabeau loves summer, and we’re embracing the Provençal lifestyle with strolls to the market, walks near the lavender fields and toasting long evenings with our rosé. Not that we ever get tired of rosé, but we have had a lot of fun experimenting with these great …

I think that apricots are one fruit that signals the arrival of summer in Provence. Stonefruit apricot or the Latin name Prunus sect. Armeniaca, are related to plums. The fruit grows on a small tree, about the same size as an olive tree. While it’s not unusual to see apricot …

Staring at piles of heirloom tomatoes at a summer market in Provence will convince you that this fruit (yes, it’s a fruit) is native to the region. However typical tomatoes are today, according to Britannica, the plant’s origins lie in South America, arriving only in the early 16th century to …

Regardless of location, there is probably nothing I like more than visiting a farmer’s market in the summer. However, if I were honest the daily Provencal marchés and Italian mercatos have a certain amount of charm that our local market lacks. However, with travel restrictions this year, I have been …

What’s in a Name? Sunflowers are synonymous with Provence, their bright smiling faces adorning paintings and postcards throughout the region. With brilliant yellow petals, sometimes known as rays, their resemblance to the summer sun is unmistakable. Stunningly beautiful these dazzling flowers conjure up the very essence of summer, especially summer …

It’s this time of year that Provence turns purple when the Lavender fields start to explode with colour and the air fills with scent as the flowerheads gently brush against each other in the breeze. The air above them seems to shimmer with the colour and the constant buzz of bees …

Contributor blog post by Michel: Friday, July 21, and we were on the road to find a good vantage point to watch the Tour de France near Lauris. As we drove toward the town of Orange to get on the A-7 autoroute, we came upon a huge field of sunflowers. …

It’s nearly 9 pm and it’s still around 30 degrees on the terrace this evening. The weather over the last couple of weeks has been bizarre, ranging from the day I got in the car at Uzès to see the display reading 47degrees to a week ago when the temperature …