Retail Therapy in Aix en Provence

Strictly for serious research purposes, I spent an afternoon just before Christmas investigating Aix en Provence for the best spots for shopping. The stores look really lovely at this time of year with each one trying to outdo the other with its facade decoration and window displays. Here's the Cours Mirabeau dressed for Christmas. In just under two weeks it will be completely transformed again for Marseille-Provence 2013 European Capital of Culture..... Click here to read more.

A Fistful of Sea Urchins

'Tis the season for shellfish - and although this strip of the Mediterranean is not especially rich in it, the locals tuck into oyster, cockles, prawns, whelks, sea urchins and all other marine goodies with gusto. I went along recently to sample the wares at Marseille's historic seafood restaurant Chez Toinou http://bit.ly/Uwi9Ag - and am already making diary dates for the brilliant open-air sea-urchin feasts that take place each Sunday morning at Sausset les Pins, Carry le Rouet and other villages along the Blue Coast from early next month. http://bit.ly/9ObbVE

Skiing in the Alps of Provence

If you're skiing in the French Alps, you can take a snow bus or train from Marseille airport or Aix direct to your destination. Tickets go on sale today, 20 December, for the snow train - and there are only 240 seats per train, so hurry! Here's where to find the timetables and book your tickets: http://bit.ly/i0umHM

Cruising Through Marseille

Cruise tourism is growing apace in Marseille and well over a million cruise passengers are expected to pass through the port in 2013. I've never been able to get a good look at it before, as you need to be a bona fide cruise passenger to visit the terminals. But I was recently given a VIP visit of the brand-new cruise terminal and a tour of the Costa Luminosa, which happened to be in dock that day as part of Seatrade Med, the region's largest industry cruise event which was held in Marseille last month. So if you're planning to start a cruise in Marseille, or to stop off here as part of a longer itinerary, my first-hand report will give you all the information you need to know. Click here to read more.

British Gastronomy on Marseille's Old Port

THE thing to eat in Marseille is bouillabaisse, the fish stew that has become the city's signature dish. But sometimes you just want nursery food (or simply something that won't cost upwards of 35 €uros a pop). Pine no further: we've found a little cafe just off the Old Port which serves fish 'n' chips, prepared by an English rock musician turned chef. They even have specially imported Sarson's malt vinegar to add the finishing touch. Click here to read more.

Making Cultural Capital Out Of 2013

One of the many things I like about Marseille is that people here don't take themselves too seriously. And faced with the challenge of promoting next year's Capital of Culture jamboree, they've risen to the occasion with a humorous, tongue-in-cheek and faintly self-mocking approach. Of course, it being Marseille, there had to be a sly jab at Paris in the form of this poster telling everyone to come south to the capital. But some of the other campaigns have sent up local stereotypes as well as the failures so far of the MP2013 programme. Click here to read more. 

The Count of Monte Cristo: A New Version

The next BBC Radio 4 Classic serial is (drumroll, please) The Count of Monte Cristo. The four-part dramatisation of Alexandre Dumas' ever-popular adventure thriller set in Marseille's Chateau d'If starts this Sunday afternoon, 25 Nov, and stars Iain Glen, Toby Jones & Jane Lapotaire -- and you can tune into it on the Listen Again area of R4's website, even if you live outside the UK. Click here to read more.

A Top Chef Comes Home To Marseille

The chef Michel Portos had reached the pinacle of his profession. He'd bagged two Michelin stars for his cuisine at the ultra-swish Saint James restaurant in Bouliac, near Bordeaux, and had just been named Gault & Millau Chef of the Year for 2012. Then, like other top chefs before him, Portos, now nudging 50, decided he'd had enough of the pressure. Born in the rough northern suburbs of Marseille, he resolved to return to his roots and open an unpretentious classic brasserie - called Malthazar - in his native city. Click here to read more.

The Best 2012 Christmas Markets in Southern Provence

We've updated our guide to the best 2012 Christmas markets, fairs and festivals in Southern Provence, from Arles to Avignon to Cassis by way of Aix en Provence and, of course, Marseille. Click here to read more

Sirens at Midday

In Marseille this week, I suddenly came across a crowd of expectant people clustered around the Opera House - on a late November morning. It seemed an odd sort of time for a spectacle, but indeed just before midday a file of figures all dressed in white tricked out of the freshly restored classical frontage and onto some little squares of grass laid out for the purpose.

It seems that France's cities test their emergency warning sirens at noon sharp on the first Wednesday of each month. And in Marseille a theatrical collective, Sirènes et midi net (the name is a rather laboured pun), has staged a different little spectacle each month ever since 2001. Each show has to last exactly 12 minutes (the time between the sounding of the two sirens) and members of the public came take part too. The November playlet - inspired by the fact that the month begins with All Saint's Day - was a dance of death. Intriguing. You can read more about the project here.

Hiking on the Pagnol Trail in Southern Provence

When the weather is fine (and the forecast is good for the next few days at least), November is an ideal time to go rambling in Provence. You'll dodge the blazing midsummer sun as well as the ever-present risk in July or August of finding your favourite route barred to hikers because of fire risk. And, so far, the real midwinter cold has not yet set in. So I've prepared a guide to self-guided walks in Aubagne that will take you past some of the landmarks that Marcel Pagnol loved as a child and used as locations in many of his later movies. Click here to read more.

Plunge Into An Underwater World

This part of the world goes rather quiet in November. But, judging by my visitor numbers and demographics, there are a fair few people coming down to Provence at half-term and looking for things to do with the family -- in not necessarily clement weather. The perfect answer: the World Festival of Underwater Pictures in Marseille, a very long-established and prestigious fest of films, photographs and artwork, accompanied by children's workshops and all sorts of other things to keep them happy.

Marseille, à la Peter Mayle

In Peter Mayle's new novel set in - well, you guess - the main character attends a rap concert, necks a few beers with Joey Barton after an Olympique de Marseille match, buys a rather out-there shirt from Marseille's hottest young new designer on the Cours Julien and enjoys a slap-up meal of couscous in Belsunce... only joking. In fact, Mayle's comedy thriller takes you on a tour through the usual tourist attractions and upscale restaurants of the Old Port area and contains few surprises -- except, perhaps, in his choice of villain. All the same, The Marseille Caper is an easy, breezy entertaining holiday read. Click here to read more.

A New Classical Music Festival in Aix en Provence

So I've now reached as far as March with my diary of events in the South of France in 2013, when Marseille-Provence (that's the whole region, not just the town) will be European Capital of Culture. And I wanted to flag up, in particular, the brand-new Easter Festival of classical music which will be launched for the first time next year in Aix en Provence and will be a sister-event to the city's long-established and prestigious Festival of Lyric Art in July. The full programme is now online, and the online box-office also opens today, so get in early to play your trip! Click here to read more.

France's First Metropolitan Long-Distance Footpath

A new hiking trail seems at first an unusual project for the European Capital of Culture's programme. But the Grande Randonnée 2013, or GR2013, is a long-distance footpath with a difference.

Mapped out by a collective of artists who are also keen ramblers, it doesn't just pass through some of the magnificent countryside and familiar tourist attractions for which Provence is justly celebrated. The Grande Randonnée 2013 also takes hikers to unusual, little-known places: disused factories, industrial trading estates, odd graffiti, Marseille airport and Aix TVG station.  It's being described as "the first metropolitan hiking trail".

And if you think that hiking isn't really a cultural activity, think again. Those crazy artists are lining a packed programme of events and activities all along the route throughout 2013. Click here to read more.

Marseille-Provence 2013 European Capital of Culture

In between a fabulous mini-break in Italy, I've started my complete guide to this enormous jamboree. The European Capital of Culture is not confined to Marseille - it sprawls all over Southern Provence, as far east as La Ciotat, as far west as Arles and the Camargue and as far north as Saint Rémy de Provence. There's an enormous amount going on, it kicks off on the weekend of 12-13 January 2-13 and I'll be keeping a close eye on all the news. Here's my events diary for January 2013 - watch this space for further developments.

Casting the Anchor

 It's been a busy ten days, as I've been building a website for my local restaurant, L'Ancre (The Anchor - there's a huge one just in front of it -- goodness knows how it originally got there). This intimate place is right at the entrance to Niolon, with an outdoor terrace overlooking the bay towards Marseille and a cosy indoor dining area with an open fire.

It has gone through successive waves of bad or apathetic management and last year got a truly terrible review in the restaurant guide Le Bouche à Oreille. But it has been take over this summer by a family from the village and I can testify that the mother is an excellent cook. So, when you have a moment, take a look at the (my!) website for L'Ancre. And, of course, do visit the restaurant itself if you're ever down Niolon way.

An Extraordinary Trip Round the Bay

I love September in Provence. Well, I love Provence at most times of the year, but right now the dog days of August and its sweltering heat are over, the weather is mild, the tourists are gone (mostly) and there's a ton of exciting things to do. Septembre en Mer (September by the Sea) is a case in point: this festival (which actually sprawls over a good six weeks from late August to early October) encompasses hundreds of marine-related events, from an introduction to scuba diving to a gastronomic fish barbecue overseen by a top local chef or a visit to a lighthouse or shipyard. Yesterday I opted for a boat trip to the Riou Archipelago, a cluster of islands off the coast near Marseille's calanques. This nature reserve is an amazing lunar landscape and eco-system that's normally closed to visitors throughout the year except for four days in September. Click here to see my photo gallery on Facebook.

In the Footsteps of Churchill and the Aga Khan

I'm continuing my survey of places to stay in Aix with a visit to the Grand Hotel Roi René, whose illustrious guests have included Winston Churchill and the Aga Khan. I love grand hotels, especially when there's a bit of history, intrigue and romance attached - the Beauvau in Marseille (which once housed Chopin and George Sand) and the Hotel d'Europe in Avignon (Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning) both spring to mind. So how did the Roi René stack up? Click here to read more.

Food, Glorious Food

I was recently invited to a preview visit of the Camp des Milles, a huge former brick factory just outside Aix en Provence which was used as an internment camp at the beginning of the Second World War and opens to the public as a memorial early next month. Over 10,000 people were locked up here: political dissidents, "enemy aliens", artists, intellectuals and Jews - sometimes all five categories at once. Visiting the camp could have been depressing, but in fact it's thought-provoking and, in a strange way, inspiring - mainly because the artists holed up there found extraordinary ways of transforming their experience. On near-starvation rations, they covered all the walls of one room with surreal frescoes celebrating a superabundance of food.... Click here to read more

The Black Pavilion of Dance

I've been doing a little exploring outside the immediate centre of Aix around the Cours Mirabeau and have made some fascinating discoveries. Like the mysterious and dramatic Pavillon Noir, designed by the starchitect Rudy Ricciotti, which rears up on a a tiny strip of ground on a side-street just off La Rotonde. This is the home of the world-famous dance company Ballet Preljocaj (it's performing at the Edinburgh Festival next week) and hosts a packed programme of activities, including open rehearsals, dance classes, workshops and apéro-performances at which you can chat to the dancers over a drink after the show. And the building itself, which offers regular free guided visits once a month, is intriguing in its own right. I went on one of these tours backstage to take a look. Click here to read more.

A Little Night Musing in Aix en Provence

It should come as no surprise to hear that the founders of the Hotel Le Mozart are lovers of classical music and an atmosphere of serenity inhabits this long-established hotel just outside the centre of Aix en Provence. Its budget rates have made it a favourite with visitors to a city where accommodation can be very pricey indeed. Tucked down a side-street and set somewhat back from the road, the Hotel Le Mozart is easy to miss - and in fact I've often walked past it myself without paying much attention. But, in Aix recently, I finally went in to have a look round. Click here to read more.

Two Olive Farms in Provence

Olive tree groves are a distinctive feature of the landscape all across Provence - and olive oil is ubiquitous in the local cuisine (not to mention Marseille soap!) So when we received invitations recently to visit two olive estates in the area, it was impossible to resist. Each one was stunningly located: the Domaine Terre de Mistral snuggles in the foothills of the Mont Sainte Victoire, while Castelas sits in the valley just below Les Baux de Provence. Both are producing very high quality AOP oils that are light years away from the el cheapo mass-produced Spanish stuff on sale at Tescos. Click here to read more.

One of the Best Dining Spots in Aix en Provence

I've been meaning for a long time to eat at Le Poivre d'Ane. Set on the Forum des Cardeurs, the Restaurant Row of Aix en Provence, it seems at first sight identical to its undistinguished neighbours. But this very long established, much-loved local institution recently received a bib gourmand in the Michelin Guide and is most certainly one of the best, and best-value dining spots in town. Recently, I finally got the chance: after showing house guests round the city, we were generously invited out to dinner. And the experience proved well worth the wait. Click here to read more.

A World a-part: Modern Art in the Alpilles

The a-part Festival of Contemporary Art must be one of the most enjoyable ways of getting a little shot of culture while visiting Provence. A cluster of towns and villages all across the Alpilles participate in an extravaganza of modern art in some of the region's most stunning locations, both open-air and indoor. I visited a show of gorgeous ceramics in the Hôtel de Manville, Les Baux de Provence, where the creators were present (above, the Belgian sculptor Johan Creten invites me to lay hands on one of his precious artefacts). But you could equally well sample street art in Saint Rémy or go Mexican in Tarascon. Best of all, it's all free! Click here to read more.

A Penthouse on Marseille's Old Port at Knockdown Prices

In Marseille recently, I thought I'd swing by the Hotel Hermes. It's a bit of an institution and one friend of mine swears by this hotel with incredible views of the Old Port at knockdown prices. As if that all weren't enough, the Hermes has been undergoing an extensive refurbishment programme. It was high time to have a good look round.... Click here to read more.

The Provençal Painter Drunk on Colour

... And now here's an example of Expressionism, Provence style. I'm definitely on a bit of an art kick at the moment, with a visit this week to the press view of L'ivresse de la Couleur (The Intoxication of Colour), a new show in Marseille devoted to René Seyssaud, a local-born painter. I loved his fabulously intense colours and amazing compositions. Pictured: Les Pointes Rouges at Agay, circa 1902. This terrific exhibition of some 80 works is on until 18 November. Don't miss! And click here to read my full review.

This Summer's Must-See Art Show in Aix en Provence

We were in Aix yesterday to show some house guests around (they loved it of course, and treated us to a superb meal at Le Poivre d'Ane, one of the city's best restaurants - more about that soon). And while my friends were strolling round the Old Town, I popped into the Musée Granet to catch its current show, a marvellous display of modern work - German and American Expressionism, Picasso and more - from the collection of Frieder Burda, a German publishing magnate who is passionate about cutting-edge art. It's the first time these paintings have been exhibited outside Germany. Click here to read more.

Pastis and Mash, and Other Tasty Combinations

To Rousset, a rather lovely, off-the-tourist-track part of southern Provence in the foothills of Paul Cézanne's beloved Mont Sainte Victoire, for a lunch celebrating the publication of a new book about cooking with pastis. My own experience in the kitchen with the iconic hooch of Provence has mainly been confined to flambéed fish and shellfish, with which pastis makes a perfect pairing. However it turns out that you can use it in a whole range of dishes, both savoury and sweet, to delicious effect: pictured above are punk-green mashed potatoes spiked with blue pastis. On the same day we were able to tour the vineyard and olive groves of the Domaine Terre de Mistral, of which more shortly. Click here to read more.

A Driver's Guide to Provence

The first thing I saw upon arriving back at Marseille airport last week was a 13-registered car reversing along the wrong side of the road, on to a roundabout! Which is why, to accompany my previous post about the changes to French driving law, I've compiled a page of tips for driving in Provence, such how to cope with the heat and the kamikaze local drivers. Plus I've added some useful links to sites such as Bison Futé which tell you about traffic conditions, the best alternative routes and where to buy the cheapest petrol in your area. The pic, by the way, shows Russell Crowe in Ridley Scott's 2006 film A Good Year. Click here to read more.

The Rules of the Road in France

On Sunday a new French breathalyser law comes into force and drivers are required to keep an unopened éthylotest in their car at all times. Full disclosure: I haven't got mine yet, though it does seem there will be a grace period of a few months during which drivers will be let off with a warning rather than fined. Anyway, I thought this was an opportune time to do a comprehensive survey of all the driving laws in France, such as the one relating to the yellow emergency jacket, modelled above with great panache by Karl Lagerfeld for the very cool original government campaign. Click here to read more.

The Best Free Street Music Festival in France

Last weekend we went to the Fête du Panier, the annual music festival in the Old Town of Marseille. I go each year without fail: it's a fantastic occasion, a two-day multi-cultural shindig that begins in the afternoon with children's shows, community events and exhibitions and continues way into the night with (free) top-class, live world music - this year, the headline act was the Mercury prize nominee Susheela Raman.

After the lead acts have finished, it continues way into the small hours with pulsating discos in the various squares.

The music is only half the story though: the best thing about the Fête du Panier is its unique atmosphere. Local inhabitants sell home-made food and drinks - there must be some sort of special waiver for drinks licences - or perhaps the authorities just turn a blind eye.

And in every doorway there's someone grilling sardines or merguez (spicy North African sausages), and offering homemade Asian savouries, Algerian patisserie, vegetarian delicacies or home-made p'tit punch (rum punch). Click here to read more about the Panier.

Eating Like a Roman in Saint Rémy

On our recent visit to Saint Rémy de Provence, we thought we'd try the Taberna Romana. It's a little bistro overlooking Glanum, the Roman ruins just on the edge of town, and could easily have been just another spot to grab a quick, over-priced sandwich. Instead, it serves authentic Roman cuisine (and wines) and offers some very unexpected flavours. Click here to read more.

The Man Who Mines The Quarries of Lights

Gianfranco Iannuzzi has designed some of the most imaginative and spectacular light shows in Provence. He has illuminated the Palais des Papes in Avignon, the Jas de Bouffan and Paul Cézanne's studio in Aix en Provence and the Quarries of Lights (formerly known as the Cathedral of Images) near Les Baux de Provence, where he has devised spectacles for over two decades. He has worked all over France and internationally too. I caught up with Signor Iannuzzi recently to talk about how he goes about creating his projects. Click here to read more.

Flying Down To Nîmes

When I first started coming to Provence, there were few low-cost flights to Marseille, and so we generally travelled through Nîmes instead. It's a small, intimate airport, and I always loved the scent of pine and lavender and - if we arrived in the evening - the sound of frogs that greeted us as soon as we stepped out of the terminal building. There's a rather nice mural of the Camargue, too, in the airport car-park just to put you further in that festive provençal mood. This week, we had to go back to Nîmes on an errand, and we stopped by the airport to try out their restaurant overlooking the runaway. Click here to read more.

Marseille: A Soap Opera

Last night I stopped by for the vernissage of a quirky exhibition dedicated to Marseille's long history of soap production (savon de Marseille is reputed to be one of the finest in the world). It's a fun, if somewhat esoteric show, with posters, photos, santons, soap sculptures and all sorts of intriguing facts - did you know that a washing powder called Persil (meaning "parsley") was invented in Marseille? Click here to read more.

A Delightfully Old-Fashioned Theme Park near Aix en Provence

With its elegant boulevards, palaces and hôtels particuliers, Aix en Provence doesn't seem at first like an obvious spot for a family holiday. But gradually I've been building up a repertoire of places to go with children and, just on the edge of town, the Village des Automates, a delightfully old-fashioned theme park, is - especially in summer - a really pleasant destination. Click here to read more.

Lunch at a Classic Belle Epoque Brasserie with a Modernist Vibe

In Marseille yesterday, with a couple of hours to kill while waiting for a train, we thought we'd have lunch at Le Comptoir Dugommier. I've walked past it a hundred times, and read a lot about it: it's a lovely old fin de siècle brasserie that has been given a hip modern makeover by its new owners (a designer and antique dealer) that respects its elegant traditional interior. It has a great local reputation for its atmosphere and fantastic-value food, and we decided it was high time we tried it out. Click here to read more.

In Search of Romans and Artists in Saint Rémy de Provence

Saint Rémy de Provence is one of the most popular tourist spots in this part of France and last week I went along to find out its secret. Simple, really: this unassuming little place has something to suit pretty much all interests. History buff? The huge Roman city of Glanum is one of the key archeological sites in Provence (you can eat Roman food there too). Art-lover? Today the area is a magnet for painters and Saint Paul de Mausole, where Vincent van Gogh spent the last year of his life and created some of his greatest works, is a moving, unmissable experience. I loved the illustrated self-guided walk you can do in the surrounding countryside comparing his visions with the real thing (pictured above: van Gogh's Olive Trees, in an olive grove near Saint Paul). And, if you just like mooching around cafes, galleries, markets and pretty cobbled streets and squares, well, Saint Rémy has all those too. Click here to read more.

On the Wine Trail in Cassis

I'm very partial indeed to the white wines of Cassis and so I jumped at the chance recently to visit a couple of the vineyards there and find out more about them - and taste a glass or two as well, of course. Monsieur Bontoux, at the Château de Fontblanche (whose vines are shown in the picture, with Cap Canaille in the background) very kindly took a lot of time to chat to me about some of his secrets, about why Cassis doesn't make a sparking wine and why in this town, even more than elsewhere, you should never drink and drive.....  Click here to read more. 

When A Former Wine-Maker Opens a Restaurant

I took advantage of last weekend's trip to Marseille to try out a restaurant I'd heard quite a lot about. Prettily located at the bottom of the Old Town, Vinonéo is run by an ex-vigneron, Renaud Pierlot, who has transferred his passion into creating some very unusual food and wine pairings. Click here to read more.

The Dream of Colour in Marseille

Last weekend we went to have a look at the big summer show in Marseille: an exhibition, called The Dream of Colour, dedicated to the Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser at the Vieille Charité in the Old Town, one of my very favourite venues for shows, whatever their subject. The place was jam-packed with families (the kids were having a ball with Hundertwasser's brightly coloured work) and, though I've never been a huge fan of his painting, his woodcuts, lithographs, screen prints and other graphic experiments were a revelation. And it's all part of a much wider installation that will take over much of the centre of Marseille for the next few months. Click here for details of the show.

A Tour Through The Best Street Markets Of Marseille

At last I've got around to writing my guide to the best street markets in Marseille - and what a colourful and varied lot they turn out to be. You will find the traditional farmers' markers here too, of course, with olives, goat's cheeses, succulent fruit to die for and the whole nine yards. But Marseille is a big city as well, and its markets contain some surprising and original discoveries. Click here to read more.

A Walk In The Footsteps of Paul Cézanne

Few artists are as intimately identified with a city as Paul Cézanne is with Aix en Provence. He was born there, spent most of his life there (apart from two decades in Paris) and died there. In fact, it's just a ten minute walk from his birthplace to his grave. On a lovely spring afternoon recently, I went on a self-guided tour in the footsteps of the grand Aixois. It's a great way, too, of seeing some of the main sights of the city. Click here to read more.

A Spa Hotel On The Site of An Ancient Roman Baths

The Hotel Aquabella sits in a very pretty location, right by the walls of the Old Town of Aix en Provence on the site of the ancient baths which made the city so attractive to the Romans all those centuries ago. But is it an exclusive luxury spa destination, or a bland mid-market conference hotel? Click here to read more.

A Fishy Lunch on the Cassis Harbour Front

La Poissonerie in Cassis seems to be one of those love-it-or-loathe-it places. Some people swear by the warm welcome and fresh-from-the-slab fish at this traditional fishmonger's shop with restaurant attached right on the harbour, a stone's throw from the boats that supply it. Others say it's an overpriced tourist trap with indifferent food and terrible service. On a lovely spring day recently, I went along there for lunch. Click here to read more.

Stay in Marseille's Hippest New Hotel from 69 €uros a Night

Mama Shelter Marseille - from the team which created the acclaimed and awarded Mama Shelter Paris - opens today and is already being hailed as the coolest hotel in town. Plus its rooms start from a truly unbeatable 68 €uros. So is there a hidden catch? I went along to the press launch last night to take a look. Click here to read more