Posts Tagged ‘France’
Cliffside splendor in Moustiers Sainte-Marie, France
This spectacular town of 700 residents, is perched dramatically among the cliffs of the Regional Park of the Verdon. Since 1981, it has been designated as one of the most beautiful villages of France (Les plus beaux villages de France). Although human settlement in the area dates back tens of thousands of years, it was…
Read MoreCooling off in Lac de Ste-Croix, France
I’ve written a lot about the beautiful places we’ve visited on a few trips to France’s stunning Provence region. One of the must go-to spots is its own “Grand Canyon” – Gorges du Verdon (you can see my earlier post.) Two summers ago, we made a return visit to this impressive canyon, and since it…
Read MoreSurrounded by rolling hills and the flowing Nive in Bidarray, France
We were in this pretty little town in France’s Pays basque region on a cheese-buying mission. We were staying in the coastal town of Guethary and travelling to the picturesque medieval town of Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port, an important stop on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, when we stopped off in tiny Bidarray. A friend who…
Read MoreA day in elegant Bayonne, France
We loved our family holiday in France’s Pays Basque region – on France’s southwestern Atlantic coast. While there, we explored many interesting Basque cities and towns – and Bayonne was a great place to wander for a day during our travels. Bayonne, slightly north and inland from Biarritz , is worth a visit when you’re…
Read MoreLavender & medieval charm in Simiane la Rotonde, Provence
I always love returning to France’s idyllic Provence region. On a family holiday two years ago, we enjoyed exploring the Haute Provence region, and stumbled upon the medieval town of Simiane la Rotonde. The location is perfect – surrounded by fields of lavender. Sadly, during our August visit, the blooms had long ago been harvested…
Read MoreModern medieval pilgrims at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France
Sadly, I wasn’t in this picturesque, medieval French town on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, but I loved observing all those lucky fellow travelers who were. I was in postcard-perfect Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on a family holiday to France’s Pays Basque, and I couldn’t miss out on visiting this pretty town along the pilgrimage to Galicia’s…
Read MoreA Provence base in Reillanne, France
On the way back from a holiday trip in Pays basque, France, my family and I decided to break up the long drive back to Rome with a short stay in Provence. We made the little town of Reillanne our base to explore the region for a few days and stayed in a pretty gite,…
Read MoreArt deco overload in Arcachon, France
I’ve already written about our visit to the Dune du Pyla – at 105 meters high, officially Europe’s highest sand dune. Very close to this impressive natural wonder in France’s Gironde region is the pretty seaside town of Arcachon. This sleepy Atlantic coastal town became a destination of the international jet-set in the mid 19th…
Read MorePicturesque Pau – tucked away in France’s Pyrénées
On a very long drive last summer from Rome to France’s Pays basque, along the Atlantic coast, we decided to make some tourist stops. One of those stops was in Pau, a charming town nestled in the Pyrénées. Pau is the capital of the region of Béarn and offers a lot to see for visitors.…
Read MoreMarket day in Forcalquier, France
We loved visiting the medieval town of Forcalquier in France’s Provence region on its bustling market day. Forcalquier is in eastern Provence, to the north of the larger town of Manosque. We visited on market day, which is a busy and bustling time for what must otherwise be a sleepy town. Forcalquier’s heyday was back in…
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