The Best Chocolate In Provence?
An Artisan among Famous Vineyards Have you heard of the south of France village of Gigondas? Nestled at the foothill of the Dentelles de Montmirail (a small chain of mountains with striking jagged limestone peaks), Gigondas is famed worldwide for its full bodied red...
On Discovering Red Gold in Entrechaux
Saffron. The word conjures up exotic countries and dishes, the middle east and tales from 1001 Nights. It also brings to mind the beautiful saffron robes Buddhist monks wear. It’s nickname is red gold. Evocative isn’t it? So when I discovered saffron is...
What’s the link between Galileo and the haunted manor ‘La Pré Fantasti’ in Provence?
When you approach the village of Caromb from the north west, you can glimpse on the right hand-side an imposing derelict house with ochre walls. It’s easy to ignore it as yet another abandoned property, albeit larger than ordinary. But then, once you find out the...
The Village of Séguret: a Glimpse into a By-Gone Era
Medieval and picturesque, Séguret is unusual in more ways than one. A village with a Different Layout Seen from a distance, the village looks like a white narrow belt that fronts the flank of a hill. It’s unexpected in an area where villages tend to be built around...
The Giant You Can See from Avignon
A few places are iconic in Provence. Iconic as in must-see. One is Mont Ventoux, the 1912 meters (6,273 ft) mountain with a permanently white top. Have you come across it? It stands out for miles and miles in the countryside and can even be seen from Avignon (another...
A Stonehenge in the South of France?
The Garden of 9 Damsels As you approach the old Roman town of Vaison-la-Romaine from the North West side, your eyes get distracted by a structure reminiscent of ancient raised stones set in circles. In my teens, I used to visit this town regularly and I don’t remember...