Provence Côte d’Azur – The four seasons

provence

Secret Provence Côte d’Azur

You must be a lover like me of France and in particular of the southeastern corner known as the French Riviera. If you’re nothing but curious, I hope to give you information that will excite you enough to want to visit for the first time or explore a little further.

As you know, Provence is located on the Côte d’Azur and the Mediterranean Sea.

In 1975 I took a business trip (in those days that was a car trip) and drove through France on my way to Italy to the wonderful city of Bergamo. I was young, had a small business that was growing and had given me a brand new Triumph Stag Convertible. What a poser I must have looked with the top down and steam coming out of the radiator. The Triumph Stag was notorious for overheating and 1000 miles was too much for a new car.

I did not know the pleasure that awaited me on my way. I decided to “stop” in Nice and Cannes. In those days traffic was not as heavy as it is today and despite the overheating issues it was a joy to drive the 1000 miles or so from home to Nice. It was January and he was wrapped in a heavy coat. I was shocked to see on the beaches that in January people bathed and sunbathed and the girls sunbathed without a top. This was a revelation coming out of England, as you can imagine. I went to Italy and drove back through the Dolomites and found myself in 10 feet of snow. Truly a zone of contrasts.

Since then, I have been a regular visitor until 2004 when I decided with great pride to buy a house in Provence. This is really a big part of the world and with today’s air, land and sea links it is a very accessible place and I would say still a very safe place.

Why don’t you come on a journey with me to discover the true delights and wonders? We will visit the Cote d’Azur with its wonderful holiday destination of Nice, Cannes, St Tropez and more.

We will visit Provence, including the VAR region, parts of the Verdon with its wonderful gorges and lakes. We will explore the cities and small towns delving into the delights of food and wine.

If you are looking for an adventurous vacation, I will show you how to have the time of your life: it can be wild boar hunting or ballooning in the warm air or maybe relaxing by painting in the sun.

I will tell you about properties, how to rent, how to buy and where to look. I will simply give you a lot of knowledge that took me years to accumulate. Visit the four seasons with their wonderful weather. Maybe you would like to spend Christmas in Provence, let’s take a look.

THE FOUR SEASONS OF PROVENCE

A general view of Provence Cote d’Azur

THE TASTE OF HONEY

1. THE FOUR SEASONS OF PROVENCE

SPRING

If you prefer total peace and quiet and few people around… then you must visit Provence to experience the joys of spring.

Due to the relatively mild climate, flowering appears early; mimosa flower from the end of January; From the beginning of March you can see the pink almond blossom in the gardens and from the end of April to June the wonderful magnolia. The weather can be very mixed at this time of the year with cold nights and sunny days and some rain. As I write this article, the average temperature is around 15 degrees Celsius, but directly under the sun it is 25 degrees Celsius, dropping three to five degrees Celsius at night.

It may be that you and your friends or family like to walk. In spring, many fossils disappear from the rocks on the slopes, the air is wonderful and you feel alive. The Hinterland is an interesting and rewarding area for walkers, but the Provençal coastline is becoming increasingly popular.

Visit charming local sights.

Visits to Marseille or Aix-en-Provence are, to say the least, good outings. Aix with its charming squares and fountains and beautiful baroque mansions. Paul Cezanne had his studio in the old town. You could visit Arles, a great Roman city and one of Vincent Van Gogh’s favorites. See its Roman amphitheater and theater along with the magnificent Romanesque Cathedral of St. Trophime. There is a Museum of Popular Arts, a weaving factory and even an oil mill to see how olive oil is produced.

If you would like to learn more about my reports, I am sure you will enjoy the more detailed information.

For the more energetic

WHITE WATER RAFTING
(The Gorges of the Verdon)

EGYPTIAN CLASSIC ARABS WITH RACES IN CANNES AND MARSEILLE
(Visit to a famous stud with Racing in a big way on the coast)

PAINT IN PEACE
(Watercolor and Oil)

GOLF THROUGH THE MEDITERRANEAN
(Golfers paradise)

OLD BONES AND OLD STONES
(Visit famous museums and art galleries)

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE CAREER
(Qualified aromatherapy and massage specialists and more)

ROMANTIC TRIPS
(Monaco, Nice, Cannes, St Tropez)

SKI IN ISOLA 2000 or GAP
(Both results offer excellent close skiing)

LAVENDER EXPERIENCE
(Visit the lavender fields and the famous perfumeries of Grasse

TRUFFLE HUNTING
(Visit a famous Truffle festival)

BALLOON RIDES
(Perfect)

TOUR OF THE OLIVE MILL
(See how it’s done and more)

FOLLOW THE STARS
(Visit the latest sites where filming is taking place)

PETER MAYLE HERE WE GO
(For those who love him follow in his footsteps)

Picasso and Cezanne
(Visit the towns and galleries)

The list is endless: the great thing is that you can choose your season, and to a large extent, you can choose your weather.

SUMMER

The image above is taken at Lac St. Croix, which is a man-made lake that has its own history. In summer the water is warm and there are many activities. The lake is filled with melted snow from the Verdon Gorges. The water is eventually turned into drinking water via a hydroelectric dam.

Here is a letter that describes very well the atmosphere in summer.

“Dear Mum and Dad… we really wish you were here, the temperature is around 28 degrees and we have been swimming in our own pool today.

Did you know that lavender is not only an essential oil and used in perfumes, but is also grown in gardens to ward off stray mosquitoes? We learn something new every day about the area and it’s very relaxing. I’ve been reading “Year in Provence” by Peter Mayle, don’t you remember? John Thaw was in the TV series; every word is true. It’s so easy to fall for the French way of life.

Oh! By the way, did you know that it is the law here that bread is baked seven days a week? It really is a wonderful morning drive looking for breakfast in the charming village of Régusse.

Yesterday we visited Grasse: the flower fields and the perfumeries. The whole area smells vibrant and intoxicating with its different scents.

Dad, you have to see Monaco, it’s beautiful and impressive. We went to the Casino but Jackie Stewart wasn’t there today, never mind maybe next time.

We are driving back through Cap Ferrat; you will remember David Nivan, right?

Many of the stars have places here. I think Roger Moore still has a place outside of Grasse, so let’s go back that way too. I hope we find it. Tonight we go to the local town to join the entertainment; I think it’s Elvis tonight!

Tomorrow we are going to the most famous place in all of St Tropez. We could go by car but we are told that the best way to see the bay is to go from St. Maxime on the boat that leaves every 30 minutes avoiding traffic and there are great views as we cross. St Tropez is the place to be seen, all the beautiful people hang out here and by the way, apparently there is a nude beach… what about that? We’re going to sit out front and watch the artist paint and soak up the sun. The private boats are spectacular and I’ve often been told that you might see a celebrity or two.

P.S. You must come with us next time, I think I’ll finish now and relax once more in the pool. Here they drink frozen Rose. See you soon”

Well I hope it puts you in a relaxed frame of mind trying to capture what it’s like in this part of the world. Until now an untouched part of the world.

WINTER

You may not have imagined yourself in the south of France during the winter, but we can assure you that the weather in this region is usually sunny during the day with acceptable temperatures and cold at night. Sometimes they have to have rain, which seems to show up in October and November mostly.

At this time of year the flora and formality are changing with unusual colors. The roads are empty and the field is all yours.

The resort towns of the Mediterranean are quiet and it is a short drive to the mountainous region for skiing. If you don’t feel like being energetic, just relax. Read a book or spend the day creating that painting you always wanted to create and never got around to.

FEATURED CITY IN THIS ARTICLE

Régusse is located in the Parc Natural Regional du Verdon. It is 9 km from Aups, a 10-minute drive away. Aups has some wonderful restaurants and the town square has many summer events. If you do not want to participate, you can relax in one of the restaurants or cafes.

The village has a number of small shops including a butcher, baker, mini-market, hairdresser and gift shop, plus a library with internet access. There is a small market on Sunday mornings, with Wednesday and Saturday being market days in the nearby town of Aups.

From November to March there is a truffle market on Thursday mornings in Aups. Régusse has two municipal swimming pools, one of which is for children and there are tennis courts available for use.

Régusse has two restaurants and a snack bar in the main village. A 5-minute walk from the house there is a campsite that has two restaurants in the summer months. There are many activities at the campsite that are open to non-residents.

The area is located on natural terrain with woods for walking.

Régusse is a quiet and peaceful village nestled in the midst of green oak forests, away from busy roads. The Knights Templar built a fortified castle here in the 12th century. There are many beautiful walks, including exploring the castle ruins.

Throughout the year there are special events such as cultural exhibitions, classical music concerts, antique fairs and even a Kite Festival, exclusive to the VAR.

I hope you enjoyed reading this short article and I hope you will look for more as we travel to Provence.

best wishes
young philip