Introducing Provence
The palette of Provence – orange blossoms, ochre-rich earth, fields of poppies and sunflowers, plane-shaded squares, cobalt skies deepening to midnight-blue, pink flamingos, snowy peaks, and perfusive deep-purple lavender – has been vividly rendered by painters such as Van Gogh, Gauguin and Cézanne.
Provence’s picturesque hues, brought out by its brilliant light, are fragranced with wild herbs, alpine moss and salt blown through the Camargue’s bulrush-filled marshes. They’re steeped in the sounds of passionate crowds cheering matadors in Arles’ Roman arena, metal boules clunking on dirt pétanque pitches often accompanied by players muttering in Provence’s traditional language, and pastis glasses clinking on outdoor café terraces. They’re flavoured with market stalls’ lavender honeys, oven-warm breads, candied fruits, crisp rosé wines, and earthy black truffles. And they’re textured with centuries-old cobblestones, Avignon’s palaces, Les Baux’s craggy limestone spurs, Aix-en-Provence’s lavish fountains, and the surging River Rhône.
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Plane trees in Provence.
- Wes Walker
- Lonely Planet photographer
