Print
Email
Bookmark & shareA Top Day in Provence
Pinning down a top Provençal day is pretty tough: Peter Mayle famously penned a top year spent in this heady part of southern France and even that wasn't enough; following up soon after with Toujours Provence . The palette of Provence - orange blossoms, terracotta-roofed villages, ochre-rich earth, fields of poppies and sunflowers, plane-shaded squares, cobalt skies deepening to midnight blue, proud pink flamingoes, snowy alpine peaks, and perfusive deep-purple lavender - has been vividly brought to life by the brushes of painters like 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 by mistral winds through the Camargue's bulrush-filled marshes. Provence is steeped in the sounds of passionate crowds cheering matadors in Arles' Roman arena, metal boules clunking on dirt pétanque pitches accompanied by players sometimes muttering in Provence's traditional language, and pastis glasses clinking on outdoor cafe terraces. It's flavoured with open-air market stalls' lavender honeys, oven-warm breads, candied fruits, crisp rosé wines, and earthy black truffles. And it's 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. Provence spans the Rhône from just north of Orange to the Mediterranean and across France's southern coast from the Rhône delta east past multicultural Marseille to the Côte d'Azur, which is also geopolitically and culturally part of Provence. As well as transcending the tangible senses, these history-trodden streets, bucolic farms, plunging prehistoric Gorges du Verdon, and age-old Provençal legends and lore have a way of stirring a mystical sixth sense, too. Like Peter Mayle (or this author!) you'll probably be planning your Provence encore before you've even left - if you can bring yourself to leave at all.
Author: Catherine Le Nevez
Advertisement
Book Your Trip
Hotels & Hostels
Booking hotels is simple with Lonely Planet. See our reviewed and recommended hotels in one place and book online. Browse hotels ›
Lonely Planet Newsletters
Updates, offers and inspiration - straight to your inbox.
Subscribe now ›
Disclaimer: We've tried to make the information on this web site as accurate as possible, but it is provided 'as is' and we accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by anyone resulting from this information. You should verify critical information (like visas, health and safety, customs and transportation) with the relevant authorities before you travel.
