France + All Things French
Place Masséna, Nice
While the rest of France is cold and some regions are still covered in snow, festival fever breaks out on the French Riviera. There are three major festivals that warm up the winter days in the South of France in Nice, Menton and Mandelieu-la-Napoule.
Here's what you need to know about each of them so you can plan your next winter trip to the French Riviera to enjoy these hugely popular and artistic festivals.
Beaulieu-sur-Mer is a small pretty, seaside resort overlooking Baie des Fourmis on the French Riviera, just east of Nice and at the north-east end of the Cap Ferrat Peninsula. Beaulieu-sur-Mer is known simply as 'Beaulieu' by the locals and is one of the lesser visited towns on the Riviera.
Beaulieu-sur-Mer is charming with palm shaded roads, lush Mediterranean vegetation, sandy beaches, picturesque marinas and luxurious villas. It's a prestigious town and its real estate commands high prices. In fact, it's been recorded that the three towns of Beaulieu-sur-Mer, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and Villefranche-sur-Mer (called the 'Golden Triangle') all fetch prices often only second to those reached in Paris.
Provence casts its spell on you long before you even set foot on its soil. Whether you are drawn by the calm countryside, fields of purple lavender and golden sunflowers, ancient towns and perched villages, or the blue lakes and cool mountains, Provence can fill your heart and fuel many a dream. Our 23 stunning photos of Provence are definitely daydreamy!
The playground of tourists and locals alike and loved since Roman times, there is so much variety to Provence that it can take a lifetime to explore. Our 23 stunning photos of Provence highlight just a few amazing locations you might like to visit to soak up the history and culture. Now let's visit Provence together in this post.
Where were you when...? A Carcassonne Memory.
Thanks to guest writer Linda Rowe for her post on Carcassonne which shows the incredible power of travel and the memories it creates. Now let's read on about her visit to Carcassonne, the medieval city of southwestern France and why Linda clearly remembers her visit to the ancient walled city.
Long before we entered the medieval town of Carcassonne, the walls of the old town and the slate roofs of the turrets could be seen from quite a distance, given that it sits on a hilltop. Walking across the drawbridge we entered a 13th century world of towers ( 52 of them), turrets and cobblestones.
UzEssentiel is an absolute treasure trove of information for people thinking of heading to the South of France, in particular Uzès, Uzège, Gard and Occitanie. While Uzès and Uzège and Gard belong in the Occitanie region rather than Provence, they are often referred to as being in Provence.
UzEssentiel is a go-to website for South of France/Provence lovers and the wide range of interesting topics will keep you glued to your laptop. If you didn't already have plans to travel to these breathtaking places, I bet you will after spending some time on UzEssentiel.com.
It's a website for French readers but thanks to Nancy, its clever editor, it also has an English section in "la langue de Shakespeare" for their dedicated English reading community, called UzEssentiel in English.
Le Mas des Poiriers - Provence Style. Photo by Luke White Photography for Provence Style.
Le Mas des Poiriers is a 65 acre pear farm on an island in the Rhône River, Provence, and also now the stunning family home of Shauna Varvel. After renting the property years ago on a summer family trip, they fell in love with the expanse of flat green land with easy access to water and the 200 year old plane trees planted in three allées. So after deciding it would make the perfect home for their family of five children, they initiated the purchase of the farm and six months later they owned the farm in Provence and Shauna was registered as a French farmer.
Keith Van Sickle is my favourite part-time Frenchman, dividing his time living between tech hub Silicone Valley and St-Rémy-de-Provence, France with his wife Val, who seems to have an uncanny ability of getting them out of jams and finding the most interesting cafes. Here's Keith's thoughts on why living in Provence is such a good idea ...
My wife and I live part of the year in St-Rémy-de-Provence, a charming town not far from Avignon. We fell in love with Provence on our first visit 25 years ago and started coming back every chance we had. Finally, we decided to move here part-time and are so glad we did. Why do we love Provence? Let me count the ways.
Antibes, France
The French Riviera is a heavenly place to walk, and in particular the area between Nice and the Italian border is a favourite for walkers in this region of France. The many walks take visitors along the sparkling blue Mediterranean and past some of the richest real estate in the world. Susan McDonald is a regular visitor to this area and shares her favourite walks with us. The area has also been the inspiration for her book The Lost Children.
Finding the start of many coastal paths in the Riviera can be a challenge so thankfully many of them are signposted. One of the best walks is along the peninsula of Cap de Ferrat beginning on the Promenade Maurice Rouvier. Flat, paved and picturesque from the beach in Beaulieu, walk towards the tiny fishing village of St Jean Cap Ferrat. Along the way, a standout villa is the pink La Fleur du Cap which has been recently restored for $10 million. It was the home of Charlie Chaplin in the 1950's and more recently, it was a hideaway for Dodi Fayed during his time with Princess Diana. You'll get a romantic glimpse into a different world of affluence and be able to admire some seriously good gardening.
