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…

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Cooling 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…

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Lavender & 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…

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A 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,…

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Market 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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Books and more in Banon, France

We loved discovering this pretty, medieval town in  the French region of Alpes de Haute Provence, in eastern Provence. We had already discovered western Provence’s Luberon Valley on an earlier trip, but on our visit last summer we based ourselves in the eastern town of Reillane and explored the nearby region. There are still plenty…

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Hiking in Provence’s Oppedette Gorge, France

This past summer, we spent a few days in Provence’s beautiful Luberon Valley, following a longer holiday in the Pays basque. We had already been to this gorgeous corner of southeast France, but we were eager to return and find new areas to explore. On our last visit to the region we had been to…

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I love Provence’s Le Bleuet bookstore

Wow – I’ve found my my new favorite bookstore in France! We were on holiday in the Luberon valley of France this summer when we were told we had to stop off at the Bleuet bookstore in the charming little town of Banon. We were visiting towns around the region, and so when we stopped…

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Summer holidays in France’s Basque country – and beyond

Although I (admittedly) suffer from acute Wanderlust and love travelling anywhere, my main travel weakness is my status as a complete Italophile. However, as a close second, I’m also a hopeless Francophile. These two countries actually have a lot in common, with their strong regional characters that make exploring the various regions a real treat,…

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The winding streets of Nice’s old town

The French Riviera city of Nice is a beautiful place to visit. I especially loved wandering Vieux Nice, where I could be forgiven for thinking I was back in Italy. The old quarter used to have  a reputation for being dangerous, but today it’s a beautiful area to wander and enjoy the views into the…

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