Provence has many villages, valleys, vineyards and orchards. The slow life in the breath-taking countryside is what attracts many to the area, but sometimes you might feel like a little urban action. Aix-en-Provence, or Aix (pronounced X, like the letter) as the locals call it, is the perfect city for a hit of European cosmopolitan […]
Provence is one of the most popular destinations for holiday makers in France, once visited and you’ll always yearn to return. There are more than 800 villages and towns in this area of France and everyone will have their own preference but here are 5 of our favourites in lovely Provence… Avignon With its historic […]
Provence is famous for clear blue skies. Its brilliant sunlight has attracted painters such as Cezanne and Matisse as well as scads of tourists. There are plenty of things to see outdoors in Provence, like the colorful ochre mines of Roussillon and the lavender fields of Sault. But what if you happen to visit when […]
Orange in Provence is a sunny city with oodles of charm that has been built up over the centuries quite literally. The Romans were here two millennia ago and the town is proud of its ancient legacy. The UNESCO Listed Roman ruins You just can’t miss the incredible Roman theatre at Orange. It’s one of […]
You can’t go to Orange in Provence and not see the UNESCO listed Roman Theatre. I think it might actually be against the law! It’s not a theatre like we might know it, somewhere with a dark interior with plush velvet seats. It’s an open-air theatre with a 37-metre high wall and a stage facing […]
I nibbled on a flaky golden croissant for breakfast on the terrace of the hotel where I watched a couple of local fishermen down “keep me awake for a week” espressos. Across the Basin, the clock on the wall of the restaurant read the same time as it did when I arrived, the same time […]
L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue in Provence makes for a perfect holiday destination year-round thanks to its status as the antiques capital of France. Not to mention the fact that it is one of the prettiest towns you’ll ever meet. It’s a lovely sunny place, full of charming restaurants, bars and cafés and a buzzing atmosphere. Here are some […]
To enjoy Provence in the fall is one of life’s most beautiful pleasures. The shades of autumn colour the vineyards and tree lined squares and avenues. The rays of the sun seem more golden than at their bright summer peak, making everything they touch glow and shimmer like a magical paint brush has daubed the […]
Most of us think of lavender, sunflowers, gorgeous markets and hill top towns when it comes to Provence. But, it’s also an area of outstanding natural beauty from its beaches with dramatic cliffs and wonderful bays to its interior landscape of hills, orchards, vineyards and rivers. We asked Emily Durand, an expat local and guide […]
There are hundreds of restaurants in Nice – the only challenge in enjoying great southern French dishes, is which one to pick. They’re big on flavour in the south of France, the Mediterranean influence is tinged with a hint of Italian style. These four restaurants are in the centre, not expensive and all offer the […]
The idea began, as many good ideas do, in the pub. Rebecca Randall, a criminal barrister and husband Greg who works in the City came to the realisation that they didn’t want to be commuting to and working in London until they reached 70. “Several glasses in and one of us (we still aren’t sure […]
In France everything has its season: in February it’s skiing; in May it’s lily-of-the valley; in August it’s idleness; and in October it’s tax. This last is why, as the leaves begin to fall each year, my husband and I get together for a financial summit. Our budgetary discussions have a peculiarly French flavour, however: […]
Years ago, expats in France who wanted an income usually took the gite route. Gites really took off in the 1950s when the French Government introduced a gite classification system to breathe new life into rural economy and British expats in particular saw the attraction. These days expats are becoming more and more entrepreneurial and […]
Philippe, our French estate agent, was already at ‘our’ house to open up the shutters, when his bi-lingual colleague Leontine was still busy translating the houses’ deeds for us in the notaries’ office. We knew we still had to improve our French, but it became more evident half an hour later, when Philippe ran towards […]
‘How this coast smells of riches!’ So wrote the American Jane de Glehn, wife of the English artist Wilfred de Glehn, when she first set foot on the Riviera after the end of World War I. A member of the Red Cross Committee, who had worked in the devastated areas of the Haute Marne and […]
My love of France sneaked up on me. Unlike my husband who I think came out of the womb loving France. His dream, which predates our meeting ten years ago, was to live in France. It wasn’t a dream I shared. But here we are in the process of buying our very own house in […]
Buying a house in France is the dream of many but what if you live on the other side of the globe and have never even set foot in France? This describes Annette Charlton who made her dream come true and now lives between her homes in Newcastle, Australia and Brittany, France. So, is the […]
A French shop assistant in Antibes’ old town asked me for the translation of a French word the other afternoon. We’d become bosom buddies in her quiet swimsuit store, but I was glad for the conversational distraction. I hated swimsuit shopping. It brought out all my insecurities. As my new friend rang up my purchase, she complimented […]