By Peter Carnes
There’s something about Provence that draws me back, time after time, year after year. It’s difficult to put my finger on exactly what it is. Those incredible blue skies, perhaps? That unique, intense light that so captivated Van Gogh and Cezanne? The fields of lavender and sunflowers …. the olive groves …. the vineyards …. the terracotta rooftops …. the pavement cafes …. that long-anticipated glass of pastis …. the first dish of little black olives ….?
Whatever it is, it’s irresistible. And very soon, before I know what I’m doing, I’ve booked yet another holiday in yet another little gite or appartment or hotel in another charming town or village in the Var or the Vaucluse or the Bouches-du-Rhone….
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It’s the hinterland that entices me. The trendy, glittering, sophisticated resorts along the coast hold little attraction. It’s good to visit them once in a while, but the hype and the superficiality (and the prices!) soon begin to pall. Inland, the pace of life is slower. The prancers and posers are fewer. Tourists are welcomed, but the locals have no intention of sacrificing either their way of life or their heritage for the dubious pleasures of accommodating and entertaining them.
If you want to experience the real Provence, here are a few (highly subjective) suggestions:
Take a short break in Avignon, preferably out of the high season. After you’ve fulfilled your touristic duties and taken in the Popes’ Palace and the famous pont, explore the back streets and little squares off the main tourist trail. Take a coffee or a glass of wine in the place Crillon. Explore the wonderful indoor market. Spend an hour or so in the Musée Angladon, which (astonishingly) houses the only original Van Gogh in the whole of Provence. If money is no object, book a table for lunch or dinner at Christian Etienne’s lovely restaurant overlooking the place des Papes….
Visit the charming little market town of St-Rémy-de-Provence (barely half an hour’s drive from Avignon) on a Wednesday or Saturday morning, when the market takes over the whole of the centre of the town and the sounds and scents and colours are intoxicating …. Wander through the quaint labyrinthine backstreets ….Take a look at the house where the famous prophet Nostradamus was born ….Then pay a visit to the nearby asylum where the divine Vincent spent some time immediately following the infamous mutilated ear incident …
Spend half a day (or more) in the great cultural centre of Aix-en-Provence. Visit Cézanne’s studio, do the Cézanne tour, then grab a pavement table at the famous literary café Les Deux Garcons and watch life go by along the recently resurfaced Cours Mirabeau…
Drive to the summit of Mont Ventoux (pausing to pay your respects at the monument to British cycling hero Tommy Simpson) and marvel at the incredibly clear vistas stretching out over the whole of the Vaucluse…
Take in some of those incredible Roman monuments: the majestic amphitheatres at Arles and Orange; the mind-boggling Pont du Gard; the reconstructed Roman township at Glanum, just outside St-Rémy….
Get to Les Baux-de-Provence early in the morning or late in the evening (to avoid the tourist rush) and meander through the narrow winding streets leading up to the citadel….
Drive to the town of Lourmarin in the Luberon. Wander through the narrow streets, take a drink at one of the rather trendy cafés and then, if time permits, spend a few contemplative moments at the graveside of Albert Camus, the charismatic, Nobel prize-winning writer and philosopher who died so suddenly and so absurdly in a car crash nearly fifty years ago….
Visit the Camargue, that fabulous, untamed area at the Western edge of Provence: a land of wild bulls, white horses, pink flamingos and gardians on horseback ….Take a quick look round the walled town of Aigues Mortes and the pleasant seaside resort of Saintes Maries de la Mer, famous for its annual gypsy pilgramage and its Da Vinci Code connotations ….
Continuing the seaside theme, spend a day in the lovely, bustling little port of Cassis and enjoy the relaxed, laid-back atmosphere ….Hop aboard one of the pleasure cruisers in the harbour and take a tour of the calanques, those incredible little inlets set into the limestone cliffs between Cassis and Marseille …. Have lunch or dinner at Nino on the quayside and try one of the fragrant, fruity local white wines ….
And finally - and perhaps best of all - just turn off the main road, park up in some shady spot, and simply stroll au hasard through narrow country lanes, listening to the constant hum of the cicadas, taking in the scents of wild herbs or lavender, looking for that perfect sun-dappled spot to stretch out, unwrap the fresh bread, the local goat’s cheese, the marinated olives, the ratatouille or tomates provencales , uncork the bottle of local wine that you picked up direct from the vineyard that very morning, and let the pressures and stresses of everyday life just fade away….
Oui, c'est parfait!
You can find out more about the wonders of Provence at the author's website::http://www.cafe-de-provence.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Carnes
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In the triangle formed near the Mediterranean coast by Nice in the east, Marseille in the west and Avignon to the northwest, lies the region of Provence.
Provence was the first region in France to turn to winemaking some 2,600 years ago. Today some 500 wineries tend vineyards on 68,000 acres — tiny by comparison to the nearly ten times larger 6.7 million acres of Languedoc-Roussillon.
Here the siliceous and limestone soils cooperate with mild winters and hot summers to grow Grenache and Syrah, as well as Ugni Blanc, Rolle and Clairette, among others.
Long considered a producer of mediocre wine, the region has been experiencing a renaissance on the last few decades. Though regulations have caused many do forgo obtaining the vaunted AOC label (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, an administrative designation that regulates wine production), the VDQS (Vin de Qualité Supérieur, a step below AOC) wines are in taste second to none.
A large variety of grapes are used in Provence, but the rosé continues to be a specialty of the region, with 75 percent of the total production of 140 million bottles, forty-five percent of total French rosé output. Made from Carignan, Cinsault, Mourvèdre and others its fruity zest is dry.
The Bandol and Bellet produced here are treasured by connoisseurs of great wine.
Bandol vines grow on the hills between La Ciotat and Toulon, facing the Mediterranean Sea. The vineyards here, first planted by Romans 2,500 years ago, are among the oldest in France. The nearby port of Marseille has served as a staging point for exporting Bandol to India and Brazil for two centuries.
The spicy, red Mourvèdre grown here is the starting point for one of the best full-bodied Provence reds available. But coming from only 2,700 acres and leading to only 5 million bottles it can be difficult to find.
Bellet, just west of Nice, is one of the smallest appellations in France. The mere 80 acres of siliceous and chalky hills on which grow Rolle and Chardonnay are so steep they can only be worked by hand.
But those hands produce 80,000 bottles of some of the best aromatic whites, fresh rosés, and delicate reds available. And the local Braquet forms a red that can age up to 10 years. If you can find them, be sure to pay attention to the honey and banana overtones of the white, especially good with shellfish and Banon cheese.
For a real treat, try to visit the Château Sainte Roseline, under cultivation for seven centuries. On less than 300 acres these master vintners grow 11 varieties of grape including Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cabernet Sauvignon to make red, and include Cinsault and Tibouren for the famous rosé, and Rolle and Sémillon to make whites.
Enjoy!