Property Provence - Buy, Rent & Stay in Provence, France

Provence

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) is one of the 26 régions of France and is made up of the the former French province of Provence, the former papal territory of Avignon, known as Comtat Venaissin, the former Sardinian-Piedmontese county of Nice, whose coastline is known in English as the French Rivier (in French as the Côte d'Azur) and the southeastern part of the former French province of Dauphiné, in the French Alps. It is further divided into the French departments of Var, Vaucluse, Bouches-du-Rhône, Hautes-Alpes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Alpes-Maritimes.

Provence is a former Roman province and is bounded by the Alps and Italy to the east and the Rhône River to the west, with the Mediterranean Sea providing its southern border. It has very varied topographical feautures, ranging from fertile plains in the Rhône valley to mountains in the east (notably Mont Ventoux, the Luberon range and the Alpilles), to marshlands in the south (the Camargue).

Climate:

The climate of Provence is typically Mediterranean, warm and dry. However, the legendary Mistral is a strong, cold wind from the north that occurs mostly in the winter and spring. The higher regions of Provence get snow in winter. Temperature can be as high as 44°C.The climate in Provence results from the combination of three factors:

• high annual daylight hours
• limited precipitation (snow, rain, etc), in winter the wind called the mistral/mistrau drives out the clouds after short but intense downpours
• dry weather (there could be dryness one month and rain the following but still a significant dryness overall)

It rains only 30 to 50 days in the plain, but more in the Alps (it rains more than 70 days in London by comparison). The annual average temperature on the coast is 15.1°C in Marseilles to 17.3°C in Menton, (compared with 16.5°C in Barcelona, 18°C in Tunis, and 10.2°C in London). During the coldest month, the temperature in the day is from 11°C to 14.8°C on the coast (8°C in London).

Some of the Sights:

• Arles - an important town in Roman Gaul, which received the blessing of Caesar over Marseille as a port and replaced Lyon as capital towards the end of the empire. It has a very well-preserved amphitheatre, which seated more than 20,000 spectators in the days of gladiators. Today it is the site of bullfights. There are many monuments in Arles which have been listed as World Heritage Sites since 1981.
• The Camargue - situated at the delta of the Rhone where its two arms spiil into the Mediaterranean, the Carmargue has been reclaimed from the sea to form a nature reserve. Famous for its white horses, its bullfighting and the wild ducks, herons and pink flamingos that gather here.
• Les Baux-de-Provence - a breathtaking sight of a medieval citadel clinging to a massive outcrop of rock cut adrift from the Alpilles mountains. Officially acknowledge as on of the most beautiful villages in France.
• Avignon – known as the "City of the Popes" as seven popes reigned in Avignon from 1309 until 1377, followed by 3 renegade popes. It is now home to one of Europe's greatest art festivals and full of art galleries, fashionable shops and good cafes. The Palais des Papes was a combination of feudal fortress and opulent palace but during the Revolution all evidence of luxury was stripped but the building remained and it now houses major productions during the annual festival.
• Orange - The name of which came from the Royal Dutch House of Orange which inherited the city in 1559 from the Chalon family. Considered the gateway to Provence and boasting an imposing arch at the north of the town, built in AD21. Also home to another great Roman monument, the Theatre Antique, on the south side of the town. Historian considered this to the be finest and best preserved of all the surviving theatres in the Roman Empire, unique for its towering scenic wall, with a statue of Emperor Augustus to greet you. In Roman time some 10,000 spectators would gather here to watch a circus.

Culture:

A lot of rosé wine is produced under the Côtes de Provence appellation, using some of the typical grapes of southern France, Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, and Cinsault. It is often at its best young. The other Appelations of Provence are Bandol AOC, Les Baux de Provence AOC, Bellet AOC, Cassis AOC, Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence AOC, Coteaux Varois AOC and Palette AOC.

Provencal is the adjective used to describe things originating from this region, as well as being the name of the local Romance language. Instead, it is part of the Romance languages' dialect continuum that stretches from Italy to Portugal.

Authors who have written about Provence include Alphonse Daudet, Frédéric Mistral, Emile Zola, Henry James, Jean Giono, Marcel Pagnol, Peter Mayle (who is

currently a resident) and Carol Drinkwater

Painters of Provencal scenes and landscapes include Paul Cézanne and Vincent van Gogh

Cuisine:

Herbes de Provence (Provençal herbs)

A mix of aromatic plants, typically but not always dried. These herbs are native to and have their origins in the Provence region. It is often sold in considerably larger bags, of two or three litres size, than the typical herb sale of a few millilitres. The price in Provence is also considerably lower than for typical herb sales in the Western world.

The mixture traditionally contains rosemary, marjoram, basil, savory and thyme. Sometimes lavender flowers are included in the mix. The proportion of each herb varies depending on the manufacturer, and additional aromatic plants are occasionally added. Typically thyme dominates the taste produced by the herb mixture.

It is mostly used to flavour grilled foods such as fish and meat, as well as vegetable stews. The mixture can be added to foods before or during cooking or mixed with cooking oil prior to cooking so as to infuse the flavour into the cooked food. It is rarely added after cooking is complete. They are also often mixed with cottage cheese and rice.

Ratatouille

A traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish which can be served as a meal on its own (accompanied by rice, potatoes, or simply French bread), or as a side dish. Tomatoes are a key ingredient, with onions, zucchini (courgettes), eggplant (aubergine), bell peppers, a little herbs de provence, and sometimes basil. All the ingredients are sautéed in olive oil. The name of the dish appears to derive from the French touiller, to stir, although the root of the first element "rat-" slang from the French Army meaning chunky stew. The word ratatouille has also come to be used in non-culinary contexts in English to refer to a (generally colourful) mixture of any kind

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