Provence: The Art of Living Wellwith Lyndey Milan

Welcome to Provence and the beautiful town of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, our introduction to the sun-drenched landscapes and easy elegance of the South of France. Arriving in late September, we find Provence beginning its gentle transition into autumn, with warm days, softer light and the grape harvest bringing a sense of activity to the vineyards. This is a town made for wandering, with tree-lined streets, handsome old buildings, café terraces and inviting food shops creating an unmistakably Provençal atmosphere. Our hotel is right in the heart of Saint-Rémy, putting the town on our doorstep while providing a relaxed base for our stay. There’s an outdoor pool and sun loungers too, perfect for settling into the slower pace of southern France after your journey. After settling in, we enjoy our first taste of the region’s joie de vivre – good food, local wine and time around the table are simply part of everyday life here. Bienvenue en Provence! Overnight: Hotel Gounod, Saint Remy de Provence (or similar)

Meals: D

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Saint-Rémy has an extraordinary connection with Vincent van Gogh, who in 1889 admitted himself to the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole monastery and spent a year here, finding inspiration in the light, landscapes and scenes of Provence. We follow the Van Gogh Walking Trail, an easy walk of around an hour from the centre of Saint-Rémy to Saint-Paul-de-Mausole. Along the way, around 20 panels reproduce works by Van Gogh, allowing us to see some of the landscapes and scenes that inspired his paintings. Our walk brings us to Saint-Paul-de-Mausole, where we visit the former monastery and discover more about this extraordinarily productive chapter of Van Gogh’s life. During his time in Saint-Rémy he created some of his best-known works, including Irises, Olive Orchard and Wheat Field with Cypresses, finding inspiration in the gardens, olive trees and countryside around him. Walking through these same surroundings brings the art and landscape together in a wonderfully tangible way. Later in the afternoon we turn from the colours of Van Gogh to another wonderfully colourful expression of Provence, travelling the short distance to Tarascon to visit the Musée Souleiado. Provençal printed fabrics, with their exuberant patterns and brilliant colours, have been part of the region’s identity for centuries, and Souleiado has played a role in preserving this tradition since 1806. Housed in the company’s former workshops, the museum traces the story and craftsmanship behind these distinctive textiles, with some 50,000 printing plates revealing the artistry, techniques and savoir-faire behind this enduring element of Provençal style. Afterwards, there’s time to stroll through Tarascon before settling in for an apéritif - that wonderfully French pause at the end of the afternoon for a drink and conversation. We will have dinner in Tarascon, before returning to Saint-Rémy. Overnight: Hotel Gounod, Saint Remy de Provence

Meals: B,D

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There’s no need to rush in Provence. Enjoy a leisurely start to the day in Saint-Rémy before we continue our journey. We make our way towards Aix-en-Provence, stopping en route at the Sunday market in Le Puy-Sainte-Réparade. Local markets are an essential part of life in Provence, bringing together the colours, flavours and produce of the surrounding countryside. This is a chance to browse the stalls, see what’s in season and soak up the wonderfully social atmosphere of a Provençal market. At this time of year, the stalls begin to reflect the change of season, with figs, grapes, late-summer vegetables, cheeses, olives and other local produce. From here it's a short drive on to Aix-en-Provence, an elegant southern city of tree-lined boulevards, fountains, honey-coloured buildings and café terraces. Long associated with art, food and the pleasures of Provençal life, 'Aix' will be our base for the next four nights. Our contemporary-style hotel is ideally placed just a five-minute walk from the Cours Mirabeau and the heart of the city, making it easy to step out and explore à votre rythme - at your own pace. There’s also an outdoor pool and terrace for those moments when doing very little feels like exactly the right thing to do in Provence. This afternoon, we set out on a two-hour walking tour exploring Aix through the life and work of its most famous artist, Paul Cézanne, who was born here in 1839 and remained deeply connected to Provence throughout his life. Rather than simply admire his paintings, we’ll walk the streets and neighbourhoods that formed part of his everyday world. Beginning around the elegant Cours Mirabeau and Quartier Mazarin, we trace Cézanne’s story through the city, passing places associated with his childhood, education and later life. Our route takes us by the Musée Granet, where Cézanne once took drawing classes, and Collège Mignet, where he studied and formed his famous friendship with the young Émile Zola. We continue along Rue Mignet and into the narrow streets of the Old Town, discovering another side of Aix beyond its grand boulevards. We’ll also hear about the cafés and gathering places that were part of the city’s social life, including the celebrated Les Deux Garçons on the Cours Mirabeau, long associated with Cézanne and other artists and writers. By the end of the walk, we’ll have a better sense not only of Cézanne the artist, but of the city that shaped him – wonderful context for what we’ll discover later in Aix. Overnight: Grand Roi Rene, Aix en Provence (or similar)

Meals: B,D

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Aix-en-Provence reveals a more cosmopolitan side of Provence. Set inland rather than on the coast, it is a lively university city with a compact and wonderfully walkable historic centre. There’s a sophistication to Aix, but it’s also unmistakably relaxed, with people gathering beneath the plane trees for coffee, lunch or an apéritif. Today we head into the countryside to Maison AIX, producer of AIX Rosé and one of the recognisable names in contemporary Provençal rosé. Set amongst the vineyards of the Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence appellation, the estate is devoted to producing its flagship rosé, a wine that has built an international following for its elegant Provençal style. Our visit begins with a guided tour of the estate and cellar, taking us behind the scenes to learn about the winemaking and bottling process before, naturally, tasting the wines. Late September also places us in the season of les vendanges - the grape harvest - an important time in Provence’s wine country. The vineyards sit at around 420m /1,378ft above sea level, where warm Mediterranean sunshine, cooler nights and the famous Mistral help shape the growing conditions. Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault are at the heart of AIX Rosé, coming together in the pale, dry style that has become so closely associated with Provence. It’s a fitting place to spend our day with Lyndey, discovering more about the wine, landscape and winemaking behind one of Provence’s best-known rosés - and why a chilled glass of rosé feels so completely at home here. Overnight: Grand Roi Rene, Aix en Provence

Meals: B

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Food is one of the great pleasures of Provence, and today we experience it, beginning where so much of Provençal life happens – at the market. Accompanied by our local host, we wander the stalls, discovering what is in season and gathering inspiration for the lunch we’ll prepare together. There’s wine to discover too, with a tasting at a local winery before continuing to our host’s home for a private, hands-on cooking class. We’ll explore the vegetable garden and then learn to prepare a selection of typical Provençal dishes, with the menu changing according to the season and what looks best at the market. It might include stuffed zucchini flowers, olive tapenade and garlic aioli, seafood, lamb with ratatouille, pissaladière or a beautifully simple seasonal tart or clafoutis. Best of all, we sit down together afterwards to enjoy the lunch we’ve created, accompanied by wine, with plenty of time around the table. Bon appétit! The evening is free to enjoy as you wish. Overnight: Grand Roi Rene, Aix en Provence

Meals: B,L

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Few artists are as closely entwined with Aix-en-Provence as Paul Cézanne. Born here in 1839, the painter returned again and again to the landscapes of Provence, finding endless inspiration in the light, colours and forms of his homeland. We visit Atelier des Lauves, the studio Cézanne had built in Aix in 1902 and where he worked during the final years of his life, until his death in 1906. Now preserved as a biographical museum, the studio offers a wonderfully personal glimpse into the artist’s working world and the surroundings in which some of his final works were created. Our exploration of Aix’s artistic side continues at the Caumont Centre d’Art, with audio guide, housed within one of the city’s finest 18th-century mansions in the elegant Mazarin quarter. Designed in the French tradition of a grand residence “between courtyard and garden”, the Hôtel de Caumont feels like a château brought into the heart of the city, with its handsome courtyard, beautifully proportioned interiors and formal gardens, recreated in the spirit of their original 18th-century design with clipped boxwood, geometric lawns, ornamental pools and fountains. Beyond the architecture and gardens, Caumont is also one of Aix’s important cultural spaces. Overnight: Grand Roi Rene, Aix en Provence

Meals: B,D

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Aix is particularly lovely when there’s nowhere you need to be. The morning is yours to enjoy at leisure, sleep in, linger over coffee at a café, browse the shops or wander through the daily market. Later, we travel into the Luberon, a landscape of vineyards, olive groves, orchards and beautiful old villages that seems to encapsulate so much of the romance of Provence. By late September the landscape is beginning to soften towards autumn, while olives are ripening on the trees ahead of the harvest later in the year. Near Cadenet we visit a family-owned organic olive estate and mill. Some 4,000 olive trees spread across the estate, with views towards the Luberon hills providing a wonderfully Provençal backdrop. Here we learn about the cultivation of olives and the production of the estate’s organic, AOP and medal-winning oils. We sample the different oils and discover some of the subtleties of flavour before settling in to enjoy a gourmet picnic amongst the surroundings of the estate. It’s another cornerstone of Provençal life - good produce, beautiful countryside and the simple pleasure of enjoying both in the place they come from. From Cadenet we continue deeper into the Luberon to Gordes, our home for the final four nights. Perched dramatically on a hillside, its pale stone houses tumble down the slopes above sweeping countryside. Classified as one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, it is one of the defining images of Provence. Our base is a characterful 19th-century Provençal house just a five-minute walk from the centre of the village. Dry-stone walls, terraced gardens and rooms decorated in Provençal style give it plenty of local character, while the outdoor pool provides a particularly lovely place to relax – complete with views towards Gordes itself. Overnight: Mas De Romarins, Gordes (or similar)

Meals: B,L,D

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There are villages you visit, and others you simply want to settle into for a while. Lourmarin is very much the latter. Set in the Luberon and officially recognised as one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France – the Most Beautiful Villages of France – it’s a wonderfully inviting place of old stone houses, shady streets, café terraces and Provençal village life. We arrive in time for market day, when the village takes on an extra buzz and the streets fill with stalls. There’s time to browse before enjoying Lourmarin at your own pace – find a café table for lunch, explore the shops and galleries, or simply wander and see where the lanes take you. In the afternoon we leave Lourmarin for Gargas, around half an hour away, where an altogether different side of the Luberon awaits beneath the hills. The Bruoux Mines are former ochre quarries, worked during the 19th and early 20th centuries, where vast underground galleries were carved into the rock to extract the natural mineral pigments once used to colour paints. Ochre is part of the visual character of this corner of Provence, ranging from pale yellow to intense shades of red, and our guided visit takes us underground to discover more about the people, geology and industry behind it. There’s another surprise waiting in the galleries. In collaboration with Coquillade Vineyards, we take part in a blind tasting of local wines in the natural darkness of the mine. Without the visual clues of a label, bottle or even the colour of the wine itself, the focus shifts to aroma, flavour and texture – putting the senses to work and discover just how much our eyes influence what we think we are tasting. The galleries remain at around 10C/50F, even when Provence is warm outside, so bring a jacket for our underground visit. Afterwards, we emerge back into the Provençal sunshine and continue to Gordes where the evening is free for your own plans. Overnight: Mas De Romarins, Gordes

Meals: B

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The beauty of the Luberon is not confined to its hilltop villages. On foot, we discover a quieter landscape of fragrant herbs, old stone walls, cultivated fields and valleys. Setting out from Gordes, our circular walk leads approximately 5km/3 mi through the countryside and down into the Sénancole Valley, passing thyme-scented fields and traditional dry-stone huts along the way. As we descend, one of Provence’s most celebrated sights comes into view – the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Sénanque. Founded in 1148 by Cistercian monks from Mazan in the Ardèche, Sénanque remains a working Cistercian abbey and is an impressive example of Romanesque architecture. Here we join a guided tour of the abbey, learning more about its beautifully simple architecture, its history and the Cistercian monastic life that has shaped this place for centuries. After our visit, we continue the circular route a further 5km/3 mi walk back to Gordes, following old paths and sections lined by the dry-stone walls so characteristic of this part of Provence. Returning to our hotel, the pool awaits – a particularly appealing prospect after our time on foot in the Provençal countryside. Perhaps an apéritif will follow. We’re becoming rather good at this Provençal way of life by now. Walk:10 km/6.2 mi - approx 3 hours Ascent/descent: 250m/820ft each way NOTE: Walk can be shortened if you prefer to take the tour bus after the visit of the abbey. Overnight: Mas De Romarins, Gordes

Meals: B

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Sunday in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is something of an institution. This picturesque Provençal town is renowned for its antiques and brocante - vintage furniture, decorative objects, linens, ceramics and curiosities - and Sunday brings together its traditional food market and sprawling open-air flea market. Around 300 stalls transform Avenue des Quatre Otages into an open-air brocante, while the town’s many permanent antique dealers add to the treasure hunting. You never quite know what you might find – an old Provençal linen, a piece of pottery, a vintage poster or a piece of French silverware. Whether you’re hunting for something to take home or simply enjoying the theatre of it all, browsing is half the pleasure. We return to Gordes late afternoon where you may wish to enjoy one last wander through the village, or retreat to the pool with a book. In the evening, we come together for our farewell dinner in Gordes, celebrating our time in Provence over good food, wine and conversation. Overnight: Mas De Romarins, Gordes

Meals: D

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Our time together in Provence comes to an end after breakfast in Gordes. Over the past days we’ve walked through landscapes that inspired great artists, wandered colourful markets and village streets, cooked and shared meals, tasted wine and olive oil, and – perhaps most importantly – embraced a little of the southern French art of living well. Perhaps Provence’s greatest reminder is that joie de vivre often lies in the simplest pleasures: good food, beautiful surroundings, time with others and, occasionally, the pleasure of doing very little at all.

Meals: B

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