The story of the Pelican Fountain is interesting for not every day is water turned into wine!! Listed as a historic monument in 1942 (so some classification of monuments went on during the war…), the fountain in Pélissanne consists of a tall, smooth column topped by a partly Ionic,...
In the 11th century, the monks of the Abbaye Saint-Victor in Marseille established the Abbaye de la Celle, composed of two Benedictine priories, one for the monks and the other for nuns. Two centuries later, Garsende de Sabran, who had just lost her husband, King Alfonso II of Aragon,...
Cézanne’s work is inextricably linked with the landscape of his native Provence, and above all the countryside around Aix-en-Provence. While still at school, the young Paul had drawing lessons, which helped him decide upon a career as an artist. In the 1860s and 70s he moved between Paris, L’Estaque...
In Sainte-Madeleine Church, Place des Prêcheurs, Aix-en-Provence you will find a magnificent piece of art, albeit only the central panel of the Annunciation triptych remains in place, with the left panel (in two parts) and the right panel having been removed to Brussels, Rotterdam and Amsterdam. This work, the...
Cradled in a majestic circle of Alps, the Vallée des Merveilles in the Mercantour National Park, Provence is aptly named. It is a landscape of rock-strewn valleys, jagged peaks and eerie lakes. Just west of the Lac des Mèsches is the Minière de la Vallaure, an abandoned mine quarried...
It is said that when Mary Magdalene and the other saints landed in Provence at Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, they were accompanied By St Trophime. He bought with him the severed head of his cousin, St Étienne
Saint Michael’s fountain in Forcalquier, apparently perfectly classical in style, conceals a little gem of medieval urban eroticism that is certainly worth a visit when you are next in Provence. The town of Forcalquier has sometimes been compared with Saint-Rémy-de-Provence because of the number of nothern Europeans who can...
Sculptured above the Porte Juive in the Cathedral of Saint-Siffrein, Carpentras is a strange ball with a dozen rats running over it. Taking the place of two earlier buildings (7th and 12th centuries), the cathedral was begun in 1405 under the Avignon papacy of Benoît XIII (Pedro de Luna),...
The famous bridge of Avignon was built in the 12th century by St Bénézet, but was abandoned in the 17th century after having been swept away on several occasions by floods of the Rhône. But who was this ‘saint’ and how did he come to build this bridge? For...
Welcome to my love affair with the food, wine, history and culture of the Mediterranean, past and present. Here you will find not only recipes, drinks and fabulous products, but the history of the food and culture of the Mediterranean.
My purpose is to get you to explore and experience new tastes and along the way to immerse yourself in the wonderful history of this diverse and wonderful region – from Venice to Istanbul, Rome to Dubrovnik, Athens to Crete and all places in between and in the surrounds. Be prepared to be surprised, delighted and enthralled as you take this trip with me.
