
Top 5 Benefits of Living in a Rural Village in Provence
This guest post is by Susana Iwase Hanson, the founder of Provence Living Cotignac. Susana is multi-talented and tri-lingual. She lives with her family in the Var in the beautiful, rural village of Cotignac (read more about her interesting backstory here). But after living on many continents, big city living …
This guest post is by Susana Iwase Hanson, the founder of Provence Living Cotignac. Susana is multi-talented and tri-lingual. She lives with her family in the Var in the beautiful, rural village of Cotignac (read more about her interesting backstory here). But after living on many continents, big city living …

Stay at a Renovated Provencal Farmhouse in Cotignac
Back in October, our lovely foodie friends Alexandra Dudley, Laura Jackson and Billy & Jack visited us (see Cooking up some serious sunshine in Cotignac) and stayed just outside Cotignac in a beautifully renovated farmhouse from the 17th and 18th centuries, the Domaine Saint Joseph. Its owner, Charlotte Baring, is a talented …
Back in October, our lovely foodie friends Alexandra Dudley, Laura Jackson and Billy & Jack visited us (see Cooking up some serious sunshine in Cotignac) and stayed just outside Cotignac in a beautifully renovated farmhouse from the 17th and 18th centuries, the Domaine Saint Joseph. Its owner, Charlotte Baring, is a talented …

Provence Living Top Picks for Restaurants in the Haut-Var
Sadly, restaurant meals do not always live up to our expectations for service, food quality, price and ambiance. We asked Susana Iwase Hanson the founder of Provence Living Cotignac for her top picks for restaurants in the Haut-Var. Why Visit Haut-Var The Haut-Var is filled with striking scenery, hilltop villages and …
Sadly, restaurant meals do not always live up to our expectations for service, food quality, price and ambiance. We asked Susana Iwase Hanson the founder of Provence Living Cotignac for her top picks for restaurants in the Haut-Var. Why Visit Haut-Var The Haut-Var is filled with striking scenery, hilltop villages and …

Visiting the Var with kids this Summer? My top 10 things to do
Guest Post: by Susana Iwase Hanson of Provence Living Cotignac the website and online community for sharing information about Cotignac and its nearby villages. Discover how this accomplished lady and her family ended up in the beautiful town of Cotignac. It’s summertime in Provence and are her suggestions for ten (10) things …
Guest Post: by Susana Iwase Hanson of Provence Living Cotignac the website and online community for sharing information about Cotignac and its nearby villages. Discover how this accomplished lady and her family ended up in the beautiful town of Cotignac. It’s summertime in Provence and are her suggestions for ten (10) things …

La Commanderie de Peyrassol Modern Art in a Provencal Vineyard
Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Here’s a suggestion for an interesting art lover’s outing, about an hour’s drive from Aix-en-Provence. La Commanderie de Peyrassol is not only a successful Var vineyard producing 500,000 bottles of wine a year but is a fast-growing contemporary sculpture park. …Continue reading here for details from Lynne’s visit to …
Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Here’s a suggestion for an interesting art lover’s outing, about an hour’s drive from Aix-en-Provence. La Commanderie de Peyrassol is not only a successful Var vineyard producing 500,000 bottles of wine a year but is a fast-growing contemporary sculpture park. …Continue reading here for details from Lynne’s visit to …

Day Tripping in the Var at Gorges du Verdon, Moustiers and Valensole
If you’re around in summer, enjoy this top travel tip that has something for everyone – from paddling about in Europe’s deepest canyon to enjoying a picturesque lunch and then finishing off in the fields of lavender. We recommend an early departure for the beaches near Aiguine, take the D957 …
If you’re around in summer, enjoy this top travel tip that has something for everyone – from paddling about in Europe’s deepest canyon to enjoying a picturesque lunch and then finishing off in the fields of lavender. We recommend an early departure for the beaches near Aiguine, take the D957 …

French Riviera Weekend Wanderlust: Bargemon
Contributor blog post by Access Riviera: Bargemon, located in the hinterland of the Var department was a pleasant weekend getaway for myself and my partner and a town that we will definitely return to as the area allowed a nice change of scenery away from the coast. Fortified in AD …
Contributor blog post by Access Riviera: Bargemon, located in the hinterland of the Var department was a pleasant weekend getaway for myself and my partner and a town that we will definitely return to as the area allowed a nice change of scenery away from the coast. Fortified in AD …

Five Star Secluded Hideaway in Tourtour
Just outside the village of Tourtour, in the Var, is an exquisite Sibuet Maison & Hotels property: the Domaine de la Baume a Provencal Jewel. It is a secluded hideaway with 5-star service. In keeping with the classy style of Sibuet Maison & Hotels, this one time private home is …
Just outside the village of Tourtour, in the Var, is an exquisite Sibuet Maison & Hotels property: the Domaine de la Baume a Provencal Jewel. It is a secluded hideaway with 5-star service. In keeping with the classy style of Sibuet Maison & Hotels, this one time private home is …

Thoronet Abbey a Cistercian Treasure in Provence
This article was previously published on Ginger and Nutmeg. Cistercian Abbeys Classified as a French historic monument in 1840 L’Abbaye du Thoronet restoration work started the following year and continues today. The Cistercian Thoronet Abbey is the third “sister” to abbeys Silvacane and Sénanque in Provence. These religious structures are …
This article was previously published on Ginger and Nutmeg. Cistercian Abbeys Classified as a French historic monument in 1840 L’Abbaye du Thoronet restoration work started the following year and continues today. The Cistercian Thoronet Abbey is the third “sister” to abbeys Silvacane and Sénanque in Provence. These religious structures are …

Bistrots du Pays: Bringing Life to French Villages
Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Lunch today at Le Cercle du Progres in Saint-Martin-des-Pallieres in the Var, a restaurant that is also the village bar, the grocery shop, the fruit-and-veg outlet, the bread provider, the post office and the purveyor of Var Matin. What a great idea. The pretty village …
Contributor blog post by Aixcentric: Lunch today at Le Cercle du Progres in Saint-Martin-des-Pallieres in the Var, a restaurant that is also the village bar, the grocery shop, the fruit-and-veg outlet, the bread provider, the post office and the purveyor of Var Matin. What a great idea. The pretty village …