Provence’s picturesque hues, brought out by its brilliant light, are fragranced with wild herbs, alpine moss and salt blown through the Camargue’s bulrush-filled marshes. They’re flavoured with market stall’s lavender honeys, oven-warm breads, candied fruists, crisp rose wines, and earthy black truffles. The region spans the Rhone from just north of Orange to the Mediterranean and from the Rhone delta east alone France’s southern coast to Marseille and stretches east across the top of the Cote d’Azur through rugged Alpine terrain to the Italian border. As well as transcending the tangible senses, Provence’s history-soaked streets, bucolic farms, the pre-historic Gorges du Verdon, and age-old legends and lore have a way of stirring a mystical sixth sense, too.
Sightseeing in Southern France
■ Nice: As the capital of the Cote, Nice was a resort by the mod-18th century. The style of its architecture, from medieval to early 20th century, is Genoese but it was the British who created the Promenade des Anglais. Today the priomenade is a 3km traffic-clogged boulevard leading to the Quai des Etats-Unis.
■ Provence: The palette of Provence – orange blossoms, ochre0rich earth, fields of poppies and sunflowers, plane-shaded squares, cobalt skies deepening to midnight-blue, pink flamingos, snowy peaks and perfusive deep-purple lavender – has been vividly rendered by painters such as Van Gogh, Gauguin and Cezanne.
■ Monaco: Monaco is most famed for its glamorous Monte Carlo casino, Formula One cars roaring through the streets during its glamorous Grand Prix, and the scintillating lives of its glamorous royal family, the Grimaldis.
Activities in Southern France
■ Shopping: Several staple foodstuffs grown in the southeast will enhance your larder, including dried wild herbs, virgin olive oil and strings of garlic. Head to Castelnaudary for authentic cassoulet, the slow-cooked dish of sausage and duck or goose with beans which you can take home in tins.
■ Festival: The Cannes Film Festival in May has the highest profile, but summer nights are filled with the sound of dying sopranos as countless Mimis and Violettas warble their last in open-air operas across Provence. There are big-money events, whereas Avignon has a lively fringe where you can enjoy the off-beat on a budget.
■ Casinos: You’ll find casinos in all the grand Belle-Epoque resorts or spas, although the doyenne has to be Monte Carlo. Grands Casinos are the epitome of elegance.
To start planning your upcoming holiday, explore our pre-designed itineraries, or let us create one for you by filling out the form below. |
