• Foret des Cedres
  • Lourmarin
  • Martigues
  • Gordes
  • Abbaye de Senanque
  • Grimaud
  • Bonnieux
  • Lourmarin
  • Saint-Remy-de-Provence
  • Carrières de Lumières
  • Roussillon
  • Lourmarin
  • Lourmarin
  • Eygalieres Market

“Trobador” comes from langue d’oc, the Old Provençal language. It means “finder or researcher” and is likely the root of “troubadour,” a strolling minstrel in Southern France in the 12th c. The Modern Trobadors research all things Provence: its world-renowned food and wine, its writers and artists, its tremendous tourist appeal…. From the prosaic to the profound, the practical to the quixotic, we provide news, information, advice, opinion, and, we hope, a wee bit of inspiration.

Latest Post

  • JACQUELINE BRICARD’S “REGARD NAÏF EUROPÉEN” EXHIBITION EXTENDED THROUGH DECEMBER

    JACQUELINE BRICARD’S “REGARD NAÏF EUROPÉEN” EXHIBITION EXTENDED THROUGH DECEMBER

    There were just a few paintings still to hang when I left Lourmarin in late September. Before departing—and two days before the opening–I popped by to see Jacqueline Bricard, proprietor of the naïf art gallery bearing her name and curator of the “Regard Naïf Européen” exhibition. She was in the midst of the usual frenzy entailed in the preparations for a large exhibition.  This exhibition includes the works of twenty-eight painters and three sculptors, representing 13 European countries. In total, about 60 paintings and a couple dozen sculptures comprise the show.  The majority of pieces are in the gallery and a dozen or so paintings...Read More »

Recent Posts

BETTER CALL WALTER

BETTER CALL WALTER

Last year, about this time, my daughter and I were on our way from Lourmarin to Château d'Esclans in La Motte, about 150 kilometers away in the département of the Var. There, we were to meet with Tom Schreckinger, Communications Director for the [...]
HOLLYWOOD – AUBAGNE - PARIS:  A TRIANGULAR JOURNEY

HOLLYWOOD – AUBAGNE - PARIS: A TRIANGULAR JOURNEY

It’s Academy Award season, and as it was with me a year ago when I wrote of Marcel Pagnol, I am drawn back to Provence, in fact to his hometown of Aubagne. On this occasion it began last fall when I was discussing with my wife Benedicte, who is Frenc[...]
A TRIBUTE TO PAL, ONE OF THE ORIGINAL MODERN TROBADORS

A TRIBUTE TO PAL, ONE OF THE ORIGINAL MODERN TROBADORS

What is a Modern Trobador if not one who detects the scent of a story and, with nose to the ground, follows it through to the end?  Like a dog with a bone, you might say.  That was our Pal, our 15-year-old ever-faithful beagle who was with us on our [...]
WHO’S THE FACE BEHIND “LOURMARIN, LOURMARIN”?

WHO’S THE FACE BEHIND “LOURMARIN, LOURMARIN”?

If you follow what’s happening in Lourmarin, the charming village at the southern base of the Luberon where the Manfull family has been hanging their hats for many years, you’ve no doubt seen something about “Lourmarin, Lourmarin.”  Have you wondered[...]
STOMP SOME GRAPES IN PROVENCE

STOMP SOME GRAPES IN PROVENCE

If you are in Provence and looking for something different to do—in between touring Roman ruins and visiting hilltop villages—I’ve got the answer:  Kick off your shoes, climb into a huge oak barrel filled with grapes, and start stomping.  That’s what[...]
GARLIC IS IN THE AIR...IT MUST BE AÏOLI TIME!

GARLIC IS IN THE AIR...IT MUST BE AÏOLI TIME!

When the weather gets hot, our mortar and pestle becomes a fixture on the kitchen table. The familiar rhythmic sound of pestle-striking-mortar fills the air and the pungent aroma of garlic wafts through the house. Aïoli. It's aïoli time. The word, a[...]

Discover Provence!

Discover our Provence tours! Small group tours limited to 8 people! Taking the year off to work on “the book”!  Next tour in September 2019 – PLEASE INQUIRE For more information and availability, please email us at Susan@TheModernTrobadors.com or call us at 603-430-8694

Provence Wine Lover?

If you are a fan of the wines of Provence, you must visit our other blog, Provence WineZine.  Read interesting articles about the winemakers and their wines, the emerging new varietals, and latest scoop from the region.

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