Event Previews & Reviews from Provence

After the dark month of December, the first sign of new life, a prelude to spring, is the blossoming of the mimosa trees. In southern Provence, you can see the flowers appear already in January. In February, the blossoms reach their peak. Against the backdrop of the still barren oak and chestnut trees, the mimosa stands out in its golden beauty.

Friday marked the first performance of 'Mondes Magiques' at the Pont du Gard. A truly epic display or lighting and fireworks, this is an event not to be missed.

More than just an exhibition of photography, Les Recontres d'Arles is a three month long photography festival, with seminars and workshops that takes over the city of Arles each summer. 

It's the beginning of October and the crazy summer crowds appear to have left the port of Saint-Tropez. The painters still display their art, but in a month they too will take their easels elsewhere, perhaps working on next year's supply.

Arles is world renowned for its Roman history and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, thanks to its many incredibly well preserved monuments and buildings.

When driving through Provence you may stumble upon a large flock of sheep, guided by its shepherd and driven by a trio of smart dogs. Much less common than a hundred or even fifty years ago, these flocks nevertheless subsist in the same way as they did then. During the winter and spring months they remain in the lower regions, during the summer and autumn the return to higher altitudes. The long trek from low to high, and vice versa, is called La Transhumance.

One of the great pleasures of spending time, even for a day, in Provence is to visit a local market. Practically every town or village has a weekly market - sometimes more often - where fresh fruits and vegetables, cheese and roasted chicken, herbs and olives, t-shirts and flip-flops are sold.

The grapes have been harvested, the boats have left Saint-Tropez, and many hotels and restaurants are closing up for the winter season. With daylight now fading away at the end of the afternoon, it looks like the perfect moment to start your hibernation. But wait! There's still one party to go to: the chestnut festival.

At this time of the year (May) the local vineyards look spruced up, the leaves green, the paths cleared of weeds, the tiny grapes ready to develop. It is just a matter of time and patience, a little rain and lots of sunshine, before the September harvest can begin. A perfect time, so a French national wine association must have decided, to celebrate what is and what is to come, by creating a day of the vineyard and the wine - La Fete de la Vigne & du Vin.