The first weekend of June in France is designated ‘Rendez-vous aux jardins’ – over 2300 gardens throughout France are open to the public (some by appointment only), in order to encourage people to see the remarkable gardens and parks of France – it’s the perfect time to discover some amazing gardens in Provence. Provençal gardens are a play of light and shade, of shapes, forms and fragrances, and all are determined by the precious supply of water. Provence gardens can be roughly categorised as follows: ‘classic’ gardens such as Château de Bourgane, le Jardin de Brantes and les Jardins d’Albertas; gardens round bastides (country houses) such as le Clos de Villeneuve, Romégas and le Domaine d’Orvès; ‘collection’ gardens such as the Jardin de plantes tinctorales or the Jardin de l’abbaye de Valsaintes, and contemporary gardens such as La Louve and Le pavillon de Galon. Then there are also the magnificent vegetable gardens at Château Val Joanis, the ethno collection at the Jardins de Salagon, the fascinating town garden of Villa Santa Lucia in Marseille, the marine garden at Domaine du Rayol, and the lovely sculpture gardens at the Commanderie de Peyrassol. Below are our recommended gardens to visit. Most of […]

Saint Mamert, Saint Servais, Saint Pancrace, de leur passage laissent souvent trace (Saint Mamert, Saint Servais, Saint Pancrace often leave their mark) The weather is always a major topic of conversation in Provence and during April and early May when the sun is shining and the temperatures seem more appropriate to June, you might well hear a local say ‘Remember, the Ice Saints haven’t been yet!’ This is normally accompanied by a gloomy shake of the head and a little ‘tut tut’ of the tongue clicking against the roof of the mouth which always signifies disapprobation. This means that until the feast days of Saint Mamertus, Saint Pancras and Saint Servatius (called the Ice Saints) on 11, 12 and 13 May have passed there could still be frosts. ‘Avant Saint Servais, point d’été, après Saint Servais, plus de gelée’. (Before the feast of Saint Servais, no summer, after Saint Servais, no frost.) Of these three, apart from the fact that his feast day marks the end of frost, Saint Servatius might be the most useful in day-to-day life as he’s the one to invoke against rats and mice as well as ‘foot troubles, lameness, rheumatism’. It’s not clear what the […]

Toiletries Supermarkets stock big-brand toiletries but local pharmacies (there is one in most villages, look for the green cross sign) will have the better quality ‘cult’ brands of skincare, suncare and haircare such as La Roche-Posay, Darphin, Bioderma and Nuxe. Bigger towns will have a Marionnaud or Sephora selling perfume, make-up and skincare. For even basic medicines such as aspirin you will need to go to a pharmacie. One medicine that may be sold over the counter where you live but needs a prescription in France is anti-histamine, for example Clarityn for hay fever. Food ‘Bio’ is French for organic – more and more Bio shops are cropping up. Look out for Bio-Coop – a mini supermarket selling organic and special dietary foods, also organic skincare brands such as Dr Hauschka. All supermarkets have an organic (bio) section and a special dietary section (gluten-free, sugar-free, weight-loss). Most also have a ‘global foods’ section – the focus is on Asian food with some American and British staples. You can even find Marmite, proper teabags and baked beans if you look in the right place. Clothing – summer In Provence in summer you will probably be eating outside 3 times a day. […]