WHILE WAITING FOR PROVENCE’S LAVENDER SEASON, ENJOY THOSE GORGEOUS POPPIES!

Posted on April 29, 2013January 23, 2016 by Susan Manfull

Lavender and Provence are inextricably tied together in the minds of almost everyone who yearns to visit—and revisit--Provence. What comes to your mind when you think of Provence? Someday I will survey people about the images “Provence” conjures up. But, in the meantime, I’ll put my euros on lavender as the first image that pops into the minds of most people. Rosé wine, pastis, truffles, bouillabaisse, markets, the slow pace of life, the mistral, and Cézanne—all certainly con...

LAVENDER FIELDS FOREVER? NOT IF THE CICADELLE HAS ITS WAY

Posted on July 23, 2012December 29, 2015 by Susan Manfull

At the height of lavender season in Provence—the largest lavender- producing region in the world—the industry is worried. The iconic flower is in trouble and the culprit is the cicadelle, a tiny insect with a voracious appetite. Production has plummeted in the last decade, dropping to as little as one third of what it was in 2000. Although lavender grows wild in many areas of the world and is cultivated in many countries (notably England, Spain, Bulgaria and the three west coast states of the U...

WITH LAVENDER, ROSEMARY, AN OLD 2CV, AND A BIG HEART, L’OCCITANE EN PROVENCE WAS BORN

Posted on March 25, 2012December 30, 2015 by Susan Manfull

Lavender is a magnet for tourists to Provence. Our post, "Lavender: A Flower Rooted in Sun-Drenched Provence," remains our most read article and questions about lavender season dominate our inquiries. That a factory tour in sunny Provence is a popular tourist destination may not be such a surprise, then, when the company is L'Occitane, manufacturer of lavender-infused lotions, soaps, bath and shower gels, essential oils and much, much more. L'Occitane--pronounced “lox-ee-tan”---stores have po...

THE ART OF MAKING ICE CREAM IS ALIVE AND EXCEEDINGLY WELL (DONE) IN ANSOUIS

Posted on September 13, 2010December 28, 2015 by Susan Manfull

Over the hill, past the Château d’Ansouis, and through the vineyards and sunflower fields, you will find not the house of Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother, but the home of La Famille Perrière, where over sixty flavors of ice cream and sorbet are regularly offered to their very happy patrons. Nestled into the Luberon hillside, about 5 km past Ansouis (and about 20 minutes from La Bonbonnière in Lourmarin), is L’Art Glacier. Customers who make the trek to this most unlikely location for an ...

LAVENDER– A FLOWER ROOTED IN SUN-DRENCHED PROVENCE

Posted on August 3, 2010January 7, 2016 by Susan Manfull

Lavender is entwined with the very soul of Provence. In the summer, when the lavender fields bloom, a vibrant purple sea envelops the region's medieval monasteries, lapping at ancient hilltop towns and traditional working farms. In July, lavender is everywhere – snaking up hillsides in parallel purple rows, splashing field after field with a touch of day-glo purple. In August, it’s harvest time -- the rows still stand but their purple hues are more subdued after tractors pass through and collect...