Provence from Fayence: Provence Guide

Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources

Lovers of Provence will, I am sure, have seen Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources. For those of you who have, you'll love the hollywood-style US trailers for Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources respectively.

For those of you who missed them, simply watch them and enjoy.

Liz Hurley at Cannes

Quotes Ms. Hurley at the Cannes Film Festival, where she launched her new swimwear range: "I know it's a little retro coming to Cannes in bikinis." I wish I'd said that.

For fans of La Hurley (& other celebrities with impressive decolletages), Hollywood Tuna has a swathe of photos from Cannes.

Provençal sauce

"Provence comes to us these days in soft focus, a voluptuous playground for the cultured. It’s light and lavender, luxury and licentiousness."

That has to be one the most "cultivated" one line summaries of the charms of Provence, written by one Anthony Peregrine in the Sunday Times.

I hereby invite readers to submit their own one liners (or indeed literary classics) about Provence, by way of comments. I look forward to a sparkling, engaging and moving collection. Thank you in advance.

PS: You may enjoy the article's meandering around Provence. The author is trying to get from Nimes to Nice. The long (but pleasant) way it appears, in search of some good restaurants and hotels.

Roussillon comes to Fulham

Roussillon (in the Vaucluse) houses fellow countryman and friend Mr. Rosen, who runs Vaucluse Blog. Roussilon, per the Times, is "where ochre mining has sculpted the earth into canyons of red and gold" and lies way over in West Provence.

Rosen entertained me on Saturday night at his London home to a fine spread. We had warm squid salad with lardons, lamb daube (slow-cooked all day), followed by baked peaches (or were they apricots?). I am glad that Rosen's culinary exposure to best practice Provencal cuisine in Roussillon is being retained in leafy Fulham.

Red Cross a la francaise

Following links I happened upon this ad promoting the French Red Cross, which epitomises all that is best about the French.

(OK, so there's not much about Provence in the material, but still...)

St. Tropez festival

Enthusiasts of the colourful, celebrity-laden fishing village will enjoy Linda's coverage & photos of the St Tropez festival.

Ryannair to Fayence?

Ryannair now flies to Marseille. How's this?

Fly to Marseille, pick up a car and drive to Fayence. It's 174 km and would take about one and half hours (conservatively). Fayence is under an hour from Nice. Let's just say its an option.

Riviera bars

The author of this article about the coolest bars to drink at on the French riviera ("a designer collection of new beach bars and lounges...along the entirety of the Côte d'Azur") must have had fun during the research phase of the project.

Restaurants in Provence with Michelin stars

I often get asked for restaurant tips in the Fayence region. Well, here's the official list (from Michelin) of michelin-starred restaurants with at least one star, ranked by distance from downtown Fayence. Bon appetit!

Beckham's Bargemon villa haunted

Beckham's Bargemon villa in Provence is haunted, per the Daily Mail.  It is exactly three years since the couple paid £1.5 million for the property after "falling in love" with it on a flying visit in 2003. Yet since then, they have not spent a single night there. (They prefer Elton's gaff in Nice).

A white-bearded apparition - allegedly the previous owner who committed suicide at the end of a crippling muscle disease - has been spotted by locals. "It was just a few months after Leslie's death that the reports of his ghost wandering around started. He would never harm anybody - he just mumbles a bit, going on about naval battles and other historical events which he was passionate about."

Posh don't like ghosts, so that's that. They only found out about the "hauntings" after the purchase, it seems.

What a bizarre story.