Provence Tours, Tailor-Made

Cecile Beillieu is the owner of Tours in Provence, a small company offering full and half-day tours for individuals and small groups. And since she recently decided to advertise on Provence Post (smart!), I'd like to introduce her to you. 


Cecile was born in Aix-en-Provence near the foot of the famous Mont St. Victoire. After earning a tourism degree from the University in Aix, she took off

Provence and the British Imagination

On Nov 19 and 20, the Universite de Provence in Aix will co-host "Provence and the British Imagination," a conference (in English) exploring the role of Provence in the British literary and aesthetic imagination, from the 18th century to the present. Speakers will include artist Julian Merrow-Smith and writer Anthony Penrose, who will discus Provence in the work of his father Roland, the 

Provence All Over the Web...

I've seen lots of great Provence and France articles online during the last month or so. And because I live to please you, dear reader, I've collected some of the best.  Here you go...enjoy!


In the New York Times, Eric Asimov rated 20 rosé wines from Provence. Read all about it here.


The Times also featured a great piece about the Luburon.


Have any of you tasted Andrea Calek's wines?

From LA to Aix

I was recently asked to recommend some wedding photographers here in Provence...so I went to Robert Hale's website where I found this beauty of a shot. Robert and I "met cute" as they say, one day in the Marseille Airport. We were both in that line where you pay your extra baggage fees (story of my life), and Robert, standing behind me, saw my blue passport and started a chat. Turns out we both

Cezanne, Van Gogh, Picasso Slept Here

Ewa Zebrowski is a Montreal-based photographer who recently spent 10 "magical" days in Provence. She sent me the following photos and text, which I'm delighted to share with you here. Her contact info appears at the end of the photo essay.

What would a trip to Provence be without the art? I left for Provence knowing I wanted to see the Cezanne-Picasso exhibition at the Musee Granet in Aix. I

Starchitects in Provence

Did everyone know about this but me? Frank Gehry, Jean Nouvel, Renzo Piano, Norman Foster and Tadao Ando, some of the very biggest names in architecture today, are at work on a new art center, restaurant and small hotel at Chateau La Coste winery in Aix.A self-taught architect and Pritzker Prize winner, Ando drafted the art center’s master plan and designed its 3,000-square-meter (32,000-

Provence in the Press

Summer always brings more Provence in the media than usual, it seems. Here are a few articles I noticed in the last week or so.

A tour of the Luberon in the L.A. Times.
From The Independent: the joy of a visit to Aix.

In his syndicated column, Rick Steves wrote about outdoor markets. Here it is in the Chicago Tribune.
Brad and Angelina give their kids a "normal life" in a £45million Provencal

The Joy of Aix (Sorry!)

The New York Times seems to be writing a lot about France these days, particularly Provence. Here's the latest, a "36 Hours In..." feature about Aix. It appears online today and will be in print tomorrow. Read it by clicking here. And don't miss the slideshow.
Above: The morning market at Place Richelme in Aix. Photo by Christophe Margot for The New York Times.

Chasing Picasso

On Monday, the summer blockbuster "Picasso-Cezanne" show opened at the Musee Granet in Aix. It's first time the two masters have been united in a stand-alone show and there's lots of hoopla surrounding it, which you can imagine. But addition to "Picasso-Cezanne," there are scores of other important Picasso sites to visit this summer, including the Chateau de Vauvenargues, where Picasso lived with

Graffiti Grown Up

Antibes-born painter Olivier Clavel, born in 1972, began doing graffiti at age 14; today his work retains that same splashy and vibrant energy. Olivier just hung a new show at Le Passage in Aix and his vernissage is Wed. Mar. 4th from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The show runs until April 30th. Le Passage, a restaurant/gallery/performance space/cooking school, is at 10, rue Villars. For info on the artist: