My Christmas santons were late, but well worth the wait…
Category: Provence
Wake Up and Smell the Lavender
Rows of fragrant lavender plants stretching toward the horizon. It’s an unforgettable sight. In fact, for many people, this is the first image that comes to mind when they think of Provence…
Tarasque Festival in Tarascon: There Be Dragons There
A quirky Provence festival not to be missed…
New Book
I’m happy to announce that my latest book, Curious Histories of Provence: Tales from the South of France is now published…
The Camargue: Horses, Bulls, and Gardians
Southwest Provence, around Arles and the Camargue, has a very distinctive horse and bull culture…
Good King René and His Fountain
The city of Aix-en-Provence has a lot of fountains, but one of them caused quite a stir when it was unveiled in 1923…
Singing About the Avignon Bridge
The Avignon bridge is known around the world today because of the famous children’s song, “Sur le Pont d’Avignon”…
Secret Language of Cypress Trees in Provence, France
There is more than meets the eye to these slender, conical cypress trees. They have a hidden meaning…
Gaspard de Besse: Robin Hood of Provence
Just like Robin Hood, Gaspard de Besse robbed from the rich and gave to the poor…
The Mistral Wind of Provence
Provence claims thirty-two different winds, but the mistral is master of them all…
Tartarin of Tarascon
Saint Martha isn’t the only slayer of ferocious beasts whose name is associated with Tarascon. The town’s other celebrated hero, who also participates in the annual Tarasque festival, is Tartarin of Tarascan…
Saint Martha and the Tarasque in Provence
Saint Martha washed up in Provence and wandered into a village with a dragon problem. The Tarasque was terrorizing the town, but Martha wasn’t afraid. ..