France - Provence

Provence - the very word makes one think of hot sun and perfumed air with crickets endlessly chirping. Exquisite images drift into the mind: Van Gough's sunflowers and fields of lavender; cypresses; olive trees amongst great swathes of wild poppies; sheep peacefully grazing in the garrigue; old stone walls and medieval, hilltop villages; and timeless street markets brimming with hand-picked vegetables and ripe fruit. Provence – once a wild region shunned by travellers on their way to the much greater sophistication of Tuscany – has all this. And much more. However, as well as the colourful images, it is perhaps useful to have a better geographical definition of where this Provence is to be found in the South of France.

The emotional heart of Provence takes in three of France's administrative regions: Bouches-du-Rhône, a vast central region in the lower Rhône valley; Gard to the north-west with the city of Nîmes and the gorgeous town of Uzès; and Vaucluse to the north-east.

It can reasonably be argued that other regions as far away as the border with Italy fall into what might be Provence for many, but we have chosen to concentrate on four "classic" regions known for their great natural beauty and agreeable climate as well as their incredible architectural wealth: southern Luberon in the Vaucluse; the Alpilles area geographically centred on Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and Eygalières; the ancient city of Uzès and its environs; and the area surrounding the now world-famous city of Aix-en-Provence.