Places

SAINT RÉMY’S WEDNESDAY MARKET IS ONE OF OUR FAVORITES

Posted on by Susan Manfull
This article is part of a series about our ten favorite markets in Provence. Thus far, we have written about Aix-en-Provence, Apt, Cadenet, Cucuron, Gordes, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, and Lourmarin. When we chose our top ten markets, we considered the quality and variety of the offerings, the friendliness of the vendors, and the ambience of the venue. Practical issues (e.g., traffic and parking) were also weighed, but, in the end, it was the market itself that mattered most. Get there early and avoid t...
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LE CHÂTEAU DE LOURMARIN TO HOST RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL IN APRIL

Posted on by Susan Manfull
As we roll in to our favorite village in Provence, I always feel good when I see Lourmarin's charming profile--the one that graces the masthead of The Modern Trobadors--and I know that when we round a few more corners, we will see its majestic château. This (mainly) Renaissance château, the first of this period in Provence, sits atop a hill, dominating the western view of the village, as it has--more or less--for at least 600 years. Today, this majestic building draws visitors from around...
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LOOKING FOR WINE IN THE LUBERON

Posted on by Susan Manfull
What is the Lubéron? It is a range of mountains called the Grand and the Petit Luberon divided by a valley called the Combe de Lourmarin; a regional park called Parc naturel régional du Luberon; a cultural region that has long drawn an eclectic mix of writers, hikers, and well-heeled Parisians; and, as of 1988, an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC), meaning its wines achieved a high enough level of quality to merit their inclusion in the government system that protects the integrity of French...
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FRANCE’S FABLED FOREIGN LEGION DEPLOYED TO MALI FROM PROVENCE

Posted on by Susan Manfull
The complicated and factious situation in West Africa, now centered in the former French colony Mali, has been difficult to fully understand without a background in the long history and politics of West and North Africa, its people (especially the Tuareg) and the emerging network of terrorist groups, some of which are connected to al-Qaeda. Having a good map is helpful, too. Beyond a recent acquaintance with the Tuareg, a vague notion of the location of Mali’s famous Timbuktu, a mental imag...
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“WHERE TO GO IN 2013?” THE NEW YORK TIMES LISTS MARSEILLE AS # 2 DESTINATION

Posted on by Susan Manfull
View of Le Vieux Port in Marseille       Photo: David Scott Allen MARSEILLE: “EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE” IN 2013 One of my scariest walks was to the Gare-de-Marseille-Saint-Charles. It was just as dawn was breaking and, having made a couple of wrong turns, the clock was moving uncomfortably close to the departure time of our train. Weighing the remaining minutes and the long distance to the Europcar office, my husband dropped my daughter and me off—along with a lot of lug...
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BONNE ANNÉE, MES AMIS! QUELLES SONT VOS RÉSOLUTIONS POUR LA NOUVELLE ANNÉE?

Posted on by Susan Manfull
It doesn’t matter where you were when 2012 rolled into 2013 or how you welcomed the New Year--quietly or with great fanfare—if you are lucky enough to be alive as another year begins, embrace it. It is a gift. I prefer a quiet New Year’s Eve. Even a little solitude. It gives me a chance to reflect on the past year and plan for another. What worked well? What do I wish I had done differently? How shall I approach the New Year to make the most of it? Inevitably, I put pen to paper and record...
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LE CASTELLAS ENCORE: IT’S ALWAYS A WILD EXPERIENCE AT LA FERME DE CHÈVRE IN SIVERGUES

Posted on by Susan Manfull
At Le Castellas, to guess who else is coming for dinner is always part of fun.  You can count on the goats, but we’ve also been joined by cats, dogs, sheep, and pigs. On our last visit, a horse came to the table and a fox watched from a short distance. Deep in the very heart of the Luberon, about 22 kilometers (a little over 12 miles) from our favorite village Lourmarin, lies the tiny village of Sivergues.  With an elevation of 584 meters (1917 feet), it is the highest inhabited village in...
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VIBRANT MONDAY MARKET IN GIONO’S PROVENCE: THE FORCALQUIER MARKET

Posted on by Susan Manfull
Sixty kilometers (38 miles) from Lourmarin, in the French department Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, lies Forcalquier where, every Monday morning, a lively market transforms the sleepy city. It is well worth the hour-or-so drive from Lourmarin to go to the market as well as to see a different side of Provence. So different that, in fact, some would not even consider this area Provence. Technically, Forcalquier is part of Provence. The administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azure (PACA) certa...
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FALL ALWAYS EVOKES THE START OF SOMETHING NEW: FROM TEXT BOOKS TO TOUR BOOKS

Posted on by Susan Manfull
Family and friends be forewarned: I am planning a big rendezvous in Provence Fall, for me, always marks the beginning of a new year in an evocative way that January never has.  I suppose I never outgrew that heady feeling I got as I set my binders, lined paper, and new pens and pencils next to the door and eagerly anticipated the first day of school.  In college, the stack got taller with all the new books for classes, instilling an even greater sense of possibility.  (Maybe that’s the reason...
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ISLE-SUR-LA-SORGUE MARKET IS MY FAVORITE PLACE TO BUY ESPADRILLES

Posted on by Susan Manfull
 I know, I know: it’s the antiques that draw people from all over the world to the Isle-sur-la-Sorgue market. This pleasant but otherwise unremarkable Provençal town is the indisputable go-to place in the South of France for serious antique shopping and its huge market on Sunday mornings is a magnet for those looking for things like the perfect Louis XIV chest of drawers or a Napoleon Bonaparte bust in bronze. In my visits to the Sunday market over the years, I have been known to find room in m...
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