A guide to traveling Europe
This companion town to Vence is, at its heart, a medieval village, standing out on the horizon. Saint-Paul de Vence was an independent city-state in the Middle Ages, but today has lost much of its prestige and is now basically a sleepy town.
By the turn of the 20th century, in fact, it had faded completely into oblivion. But it was discovered in the 1920s by penniless artists, who were paying for drinks at the bar with paintings.
Cagnes-sur-Mer is a lovely medieval village convenient to Nice, Cannes, and Monaco, and is relatively unspoiled. It was one of Renoir’s favorite places, and he lived there at Les Collettes during the end of his life, when he painted by tying his paintbrush to his hand.
For centuries, Biot has been known for its pottery made from the local fine yellow clay. Today, it is also known for its burgeoning glassmaking industry. Its cobbled streets are lined with boutiques specializing in glassware and stoneware, and you will be able to find delicate glass art at every turn.
Even though the commercial district here is well-developed and quite busy. Biot has not lost its old Provence feel.
The hills behind the Cote d’Azur are the arriere-pays, or backcountry, and the section including Mougins was an inspiration for the French artists of the last two centuries. Picasso and Matisse, in particular, were fond of this area. With undulating fields of sweet-smelling lavender surrounding villages of golden stone, it’s easy to see why artists have been drawn here.
The city of Orange is located towards the south area of France and is part of the department of Vaucluse, at 20 kilometers from Avignon.
This city is famous due to its predominant Roman architecture, especially its Roman Theatre. There are several amazing buildings, some of them among the most valued constructions in Europe.
Arles is an antique French city which dates from more than 2000 years ago. This city is not only antique but, due to the great amount of different époques it has gone through, it is very rich in history as well.
Visiting this city can be an amazing adventure which might bring visitors to many different historic moments by walking around as well as by observing some of its buildings and monuments.
Avignon is famous by the way it promotes arts as well as by the richness it contains within its antique buildings and monuments. Due to all these factors, it was named European City of Culture in the year 2000 and is often centre of important art related meetings and exhibitions.
Camargue is a very interesting French destination where visitors can find a wide variety of different activities to do and spots to meet. This area is located on the Mediterranean coast, and it is highly recommendable for those who enjoy water and beach related activities to visit it.
Alpilles is a very attractive French area located towards the southern region of Baux de Provence. Alpilles has been made world wide known by several painters and writers who have been inspired in this area for their creations due to their beauty and particular essence.
The French city of Marseille was founded about 2600 years ago by the Greeks. This age turns it into the oldest city in France and gives it a charm and an attraction which no other French spot can equalize. Besides this characteristic, Marseille is also considered to have the second largest port in all Europe, being preceded just by Rotterdam.