La Provence

If you hear the chirping of the cicadas, feel the cool mistral wind, smell the scent of lavender, enjoy dishes seasoned with olive oil and feel the sun on your skin, then there's no doubt about it: you've arrived in Provence.

There's something for everyone in Provence, whether you want to sample its world-renowned gastronomy, explore its history in the Gallo-Roman remains dotted around the region, from Aix-en-Provence to Nice to Marseille, or quench your thirst for culture at its many festivals: theater at the Avignon Festival, Cinema at the Cannes Festival, the Antibes-Juan-les-Pins Jazz Festival, or classical music at the Chorégies d'Orange, or simply enjoy the Mediterranean climate for outdoor activities and idleness.

But Provence is also a French territory with a very branded local identity, which is evident in every aspect of its inhabitants' lives: in Provence, you can hear some of the locals speaking the langue d'oc and admire the traditional costumes that come out during the major festivals. And while Provence remains intimately linked to the work of Marcel Pagnol, many artists have drawn their inspiration from this land of tradition and color: Cézanne and Matisse in Aix-en-Provence, Van Gogh in Arles, Picasso in Avignon, Alphonse Daudet and Émile Zola - just some of the painters and poets whose imaginations Provence has shaped.