Provence stirs all your senses. You eyes capture a brilliant palate of color - the intense blue sea and sky, soft silvery green olive trees and cheerful yellow sunflowers, waves of purple lavender, golden red tiled houses with their pastel shutters of blue and green—all bathed in the clear bright light of Provence.
In the markets hear a symphony of sounds from the joyful voices of buyers and sellers in the stall, nearby clank of the metal pétanque balls thrown by old men in the village squares and in the summer the ever-present sound of cicadas. Any day of the week you can find some village market setting up its stalls near the main square.

On your strolls, breathe deeply and enjoy the scent of lavender, thyme and rosemary all growing in the fields or lined in neat stacks in the markets. Sip wine or taste of the nuances of olive oil, garlic, basil, figs and the countless varieties of fruit and vegetables. Let the sun caress your skin, warming you to this slower pace of life. Give in to these sensual contrasts, forgetting everything but the moment, knowing that this is life as it should be lived.

While Provence and the Côte d'Azur have their own specialties, they share a common a gastronomic tradition built on local products - fresh vegetables, garlic, olive oil and herbs - all heavily influenced by nearby Italy. The resulting cuisine is a bright, sunny, colorful cuisine, full of scents and aromatics all tempting to the palate.

Along the Côte d'Azur, Italy’s influence is most strongly felt as Nice was at one time in its history Italian. There are some traditional dishes from Nice, ratatouille, salade niçoise, stuffed vegetables, pissaladière, stew with niçoise, artichokes barigoule and soup with pesto. And the seafood, bouillabaisse, fresh sardines, flambeed sea bass with fennel and anise liqueur, soup au pistou, and the south’s version of pizza, pissadaldiere. Along with local wines, pastis is a favored drink.

And in Provence you’ll find many of these dishes are also in the spotlight. Add in colorful images of red and yellow peppers, magnificent tomatoes, eggplants, fresh fish, grilled lamb, olives and olive oil, citrus fruits and golden Cavaillon melons ripened under the Mediterranean sun. The quality and profusion of fruits and vegetables grown is as much a treat for the eyes as for the taste buds. Provencal dishes combine classic elements of French, Italian and Spanish cuisine in a bouquet of authentic flavors. At Marseille you’ll find the famous bouillabaisse, in Aix the preferred sweet, calissons, Apt’s candied fruit tapenade, truffles from Carpentras and fougasse, a bakery speciality. The Camargue is famous for its rice cultivated since 1830, and salt, but also the famous Arles sausage created in the 17th century. From the southern Rhone valley enjoy the wines of Gigondas, Tavel, hearty Chateauneuf du Pape outside of Avignon and the roses the southern coast.