The Provence Post

If you're interested in wine, design, sculpture or architecture--or simply enjoy experiencing very unusual and beautiful places--a visit to Ch âteau La Coste is a must. This gorgeous 600-acre wine domaine ten minutes north of Aix has a large visitors center designed by world-famous architect Tadao Ando, plus numerous installations and buildings crafted by other luminaries such as Jean Nouvel and Frank Gehry. Granted, a visit in Spring, Summer or Fall is ideal....but they're open all year and if you can catch a warm-ishday,there's no reason not to enjoy it now. Here's a great opportunity to do so....along with a special evening food-and-wine event next week.

Tatsuo Miyajima's Wild Flowers and other selected installations are now lit up at night and the owners are offering a special guided tour at 6 pm on Saturday December 29th. (The same event is being held tomorrow night but it's sold out.) Afterwards, dinner will be be served at a long table in the lovely, very-serene restaurant Le Café de Tadao Ando. Just make sure to wrap up warm for the 45-minute guided outdoor visit. 26€ per person includes the tour, dinner and a glass of wine. Places are limited and reservations are advised: 04 42 61 92 92, chateau-la-coste.com, reservations@chateau-la-coste.com.

Otherwise, guided visits are available every day in December, except the 24th, 25th and 26th. Visits depart at 2.30 pm and will be followed by a complimentary glass of vin chaud (hotwine) and a traditional mince pie. Tickets are 6€ plus the normal entrance fee and reservations are required.

While the newest incarnation of Château la Coste is just a year old, there's been agriculture and winemaking here as far back as Roman times. On the property are cobbled Gallo-Roman pathways, dry stone walls, bridges, underground wells...and the vestiges of an intricate watering system currently undergoing restoration. Between the rows of vines, mixed in with the sandy limestone soil, workers have found fragments of amphores which the Romans used to transport their wine and varnished fragments of the cups from which they drank. Today the property is blanketed with forests of green and white oaks, meadows of almond trees and broad swaths of wildflowers, plus 250 acres of meticulously tended vines. A lovely Venetian villa in a rosy pink hue has stood here since 1682.

It was in 2004 that the current owners decided to transform the domaine into a place where art, architecture and the terrain would blend seamlessly. The idea had already been successful in the Basque city of Álava, headquarters of Vinos del Marqués de Riscal, where Frank Gehry was commissioned to build a hotel. Here in France, the Irish owners of Château La Coste expanded on that idea, inviting artists and architects from all over the world to visit, explore and find a place upon the estate that inspired them to create. Other artists with work on view include Alexander Calder, Michael Stipe, Louise Bourgeous, Andy Goldsworthy, Richard Serra, Paul Matisse and many others. To see the major features of the property, plan for a two-hour stroll with some gravel and gentle hills. And definitely stay for a meal...my friends and I loved everything about our lunch here in mid November: the sunshine on the terrace, the soothing calm of the reflecting pool, the excellent food, the wine (of course!) and the gracious warmth of our server. Make sure to also leave time for wine tasting in the pretty shop...and for perusing all the art and architecture books in the alcove by the front desk. Set aside a day to give the property the time it deserves.

If you've visited La Coste in the year since it's been officially open, you'll want to pop back in periodically. New buildings are coming from Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, while other additions--such as a small hotel--may be coming soon. The property is open for self-guided visits year round (you'll be provided with a map) while guided visits are available by reservation. Scheduled English-language tours are offered on Friday, Saturday and Sundays at 1 p.m. More info and admission prices can be found on the bi-lingual website.

Chateau La Coste
2750 Route de la Cride
Le Puy Sainte Reparade, France
04 42 61 89 98
contact@chateau-la-coste.com
chateau-la-coste.com
GPS coordinates: on the website
Facebook and Twitter

Photos:1. Hiroshi Sugimoto's ''Infinity'' in the reflecting pool at the Tadao Ando visitors' center. 2. Liam Gillick's ''Multiplied Resistance Screened.'' The colored panels slide around to create different hues. 3. Crouching Spider by Louise Bourgeous lives in the large reflecting pool at the visitors' center. 4. Alexander Calder's ''Small Crinkley'' outside Tadao Ando's visitors center. 5. Sean Scully's ''Wall of Light Cubed.'' 6. Jean Nouvel's winery, called the Chai, is the preserve of wine maker Mattheiu Cosse. 7. Guided visits in December depart at 2:30 daily and include vin chaud and mince pies. 8. Soaking up winter sun on the cafe terrace.

Linda Dannenberg, who created and publishes the immensely popular French Country Diary, has just written that she'd love, once again, to offer some copies to my readers as a end-of-the-year giveaway. Last year, the French Country Diary giveaway on Provence Post got such a big response, Linda went a little nuts and actually sent out quite a few more gift copies than she had committed to. ''Couldn't help myself,'' she explains. ''And why not? I loved the comments. It was such fun.''

This year's edition of the hardcover book--the 25th annual!--is 128 pages. It's slip-cased in a a pretty, deep-rose Provencal toile fabric from Olivades called “Les Quatre Saisons.” Vintage typography and gorgeous photos by Guillaume de Laubier enhance the design and layout, with each week-at-a-glance spread offering an intimate vignette of the French countryside: gardens, private homes, villagesand landscapes. As the year goes on you'll visit a luminous stone farmhouse surrounded by lavender fields near Saint-Rémy; take a sunlit drive through the hidden coves and harbors of the Côtes d’Armor, Brittany’s rocky northern coast; enjoy a snowy winter’s day in Paris; and spend an afternoon discovering the Potager du Roi, Louis XIV’s extraordinary vegetable garden at the Palace of Versailles. Also included are lush four-color endpapers, generous space for jotting daily notes, a stitched-in ribbon to mark each week and decorative address pages. More than a few people have told me they save their Diaries year after year, that they make lovely keepsakes.

This year, Linda would like to give away five signed copies. To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment below, by clicking COMMENTS. Linda suggests you tell us: ''What is your favorite book set in France...fiction or non fiction...and what makes it so special?'' You don't have to answer that question but please keep in mind that the more creative your comment, the better! And please be very sure to leave your email address or we won't be able to reach you if you win.

Meanwhile, if you'd like to go ahead and order the French Country Diary2013 on Amazon, you can do that here. Or you can order it from Linda's website, which is here. (On Linda's website you can also get all the info about her other books, an impressive list that includes Pierre Deux's French Country, New French Country, French Country Kitchens, Paris Bistro Cooking,Perfect Vinaigrettes and Ducasse: Flavors of France.)

So bonne chance...I hope you win...and of course, I wish you all the happiest, healthiest, most-heavenlyNew Year....

One of the many super-cool people I've met in the blogosphere over the years is Kit Golson, a California-based interior designer who's crazy passionate about Provence. (By the time Kit and I finally met face to facelast year,we were already great pals.) Anyway, Kit just rang up to tell me that she still has a few spots left on her third annual Design Tour of Provence, May 4 to 11, 2013, and she's offering $300 off until January 20. Early May is a glorious time to be in the South of France and if I wasn't already living here, I'd sign up for sure. I'm totally planning to schlep along with the group one day if the charming-and-talented Kit lets me.

As in years past, Kit's week-long tour includes plenty of antiquing, with visits to design ateliers, fabric shops, markets and brocantes. There's a cooking class in a 13th-century chateau, optional yoga and massage, work with a digital photography coach, plenty of sightseeing in some of the most popular villages in Provence and, of course, fabulous meals with perfect local wines. You'll stay in an elegantly restored-farmhouse villa, with private bedrooms/bath and a private chef, in the village of L'Isle sur la Sorgue, a major European antiques center.

Food, wine, antiques, design, markets, shopping, photography, a private chef...is there anything on that list we don't love?

I'll let you get the rest of the info from Kit's site here. Or, you can download the brochure here. If you have any questions at all, just email or call her: kit@kitgolson.com or US phone 650-302-6883. Hope to see you in Provence in May!

Photos from top: On Kit's trip, you'll see beautiful buildings like this...serve yourself breakfast from here...sleep in this room or another like it...swim and lounge by this elegant pool...poke through brocante markets...and eat in charming bistros like this one. Kit's husband Chris Golson took the photos and he'll be joining the tour as well.

Tom Schifanella, a Florida based graphic designer and ad exec, loved buying vintage travel posters (mostly Art Nouveau to Mid Century Modern) until prices escalated in the late 1980s. Then one day at a local antique show, Tom realized he could pick up luggage labels --often miniature versions of the same travel posters he loved--for a fraction of the cost. ''They were usually considered an afterthought by dealers,'' he explains. Tom started buying up all the labels he could find locally, scouting them on frequent trips to New York and London and trading duplicates with dealers and other collectors. ''I quickly realized that you could amass a pretty significant collection on a limited budget and began to acquire as many as I could get my hands on,'' he says.

Today Tom estimates his collection numbers somewhere around 7000 labels, plus another 600 historic travel-related items.

''Luggage labels are fascinating bits of hotel history from the golden age of travel, roughly the 1900's to 1960's,'' Tom explains. ''The labels were used by hotels as advertising and eagerly applied to steamer trunks, suitcases and all sorts of luggage by hotel staff, mainly bellhops.''

Along with other bits of travel ephemera, Tom displays the bulk of his vast collection on his wonderful Flickr site here. ''My goal is to create an online visual resource for collectors that will educate and inform,'' he says. ''Eventually I'd like to have one of the most comprehensive collections of labels on the web. And one of the best ways to do this is by encouraging other collectors to add to the images to the site.'' So if you have labels, Tom would love to hear from you.

Tom has his favorites, of course, such as those from the great label printers and artists of the 1930's. ''Printers such as BRÜGGER of Meiringen, Richter & Co and A. TRÜB & Cie of Aarau produced some fantastic labels during this time period using stone lithography, engraving and chromolithography,'' he said in a recent interview on the blog Ephemera. ''Artists such as Roger Broders, Jan Lavies, Erik Nitsche, Mario Borgoni, J. Pashal and Charles Kuhn worked with these printers to produce label designs of exceptional quality.''

On Flickr, Tom has his labels organized beautiful by theme, geography and subject. For example, you can see all the France labels here...and Paris labels here...and labels by the printer Richter & Co. here...and labels from the Belle Epoque here...and labels from North America and Canada here...

Tom also displays labels belonging to fellow collectors, such as Joao Mimoso and György Rázsó, among others.

If you're thinking luggage labels might be fun to collect, Tom's best tip is is to buy what interests you, not what you think is a good investment. Meanwhile he sells a few labels on Ebay; you can see that page here. For advertising and marketing purposes, Tom makes high-res digital images of his labels available; just email him (tomschifanella@trsg.net) for more info. Tom's love affair with luggage labels is like a little vacation and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did...

Photos: A grid made from some of Tom's French labels...and a few favorites from the South of France.

OK so here’s a confession: I still have my first peace-symbol necklace; my fringed, suede purse; a very-pretty macramé-and-beaded halter maxi-dress; and more than one tie-dyed t-shirt dating to the art form’s very earliest days.

So imagine my delight when I heard about69 Campers, a company that rents out three gorgeously renovated 1960s and 70s VW camper vans for touring Provence and the Cote d'Azur.

By the way, I’m totally hearing the Grateful Dead in my head right now! Aren't you?

69 Campers is a family business run by Matt and Jennie Tombs, and Matt's parents Vic and Louise, who all hail from England. They moved to France eight years ago, to Portes du Soleil in the Alps, and later made the move to the South, where they now live full time with their three kids (aka ‘’van-washers’’). The family and their company are based in Seillans, a beautiful perched medieval village in the Var, not far from the famous pottery town of Fayence. They’re 70 kilometers from Nice and 80 minutes from St. Tropez.

The business, Matt says, took about a year to set up. The moved to Seillans in September, launched 69 Campers in November and will welcome their first renters in early spring.

They used a UK company to source, import, restore and customize the vans, which were found in Alabama, California and Arizona. ‘’All three are left hand drive,’’ Matt says, ‘’and have undergone professional bare-metal restoration and mechanical overhaul. They have new 1600cc Twin Port engines, re-conditioned gearboxes and new electrical wiring looms. They were completely done up to our specs in terms of colors, materials, interiors.’’

The vans are called Gigi, Margot and Amélie and each has a personality all her own.

Margot and Amélie, for instance, are known as ''bay windows'' and have ¾ ‘’Rock 'n' Roll’’ beds, an additional double bed in the pop-up roof and a front-seat hammock. Margot and Amélie sleep five.

Gigi, a ''split screen,'' has a ¾ Rock 'n' Roll bed and a front-seat hammock; she sleeps three. Drive away awnings and tents can be hired if additional sleep-space is required.

All three vans have cool, custom hand-made interiors with fitted kitchens, two gas burners, a sink, a fridge and storage. A solar shower comes with the van and a portable toilet can be added for a small fee. Also available for rent are iPod docks, GPS units, hammocks, linens, mountain bikes, food hampers, tented awnings, baby seats, sleeping bags and more. Matt and Jennie will happily provide campground info and regional maps.

For touring, rentals are three days minimum in mid season (March, April, May, October) and seven days minimum in high season (June to September).

Or, consider renting one for a wedding or another special event. Gigi, in fact, has been styled with weddings specifically in mind: ''Dressed in Harvest Moon Beige and Alpine White, she creates the perfect look for your special day!'' the website says. The campers can be decorated to compliment your theme and can be loaded up with Champagne and treats.

Or if you want Gigi, Margot and Amélie for your movie, ad campaign, photo shoot or trade show, just drop Matt a note.

The Tombs expect it’ll take some time for this new business to take off—please forward and share this story!!--but say they couldn't be happier.

‘’What a thrill to be able to marry this iconic vehicle with Provence and the Côte d'Azur,’’ Matt says. ‘’Just like these campers, the region is completely steeped in beauty, history and charm.’’

69 Campers

Le Clos St Michel
185 Route De Draguignan
Seillans, 83440, France
69campers.com
info@69campers.com
Twitter: 69campers
Facebook: 69 Campers
Tel: +33 (0)4 83 11 17 75
Cell: +33 (06) 75 8 5 25 76

Photos: Two of the three girls have already joined the family; the third arrives on February 15th. The 69 Campers logo and slogan. Matt and Jennie Tombs looking totally cool sur la plage.

The French WineSociety (FWS) is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit, founded in 2005 and dedicated to French wine education. They offer self-paced learning online....and webinar certificate programs...and classes in various US cities...and more. This year, they're also offering a number of splendid week-long Wine Immersion Study Trips in France. These are new trips, providing an intensive, professional-level educational program, coupled with certification through the FWS’s industry-endorsed Masters-Level programs.

The trips are led by well-known experts who reside in the visited regions, such as Dewey Markham Jr. (Bordeaux), Matthew Stubbs (Languedoc-Roussillon), Kelly McAuliffe (Rhône Valley) and Jean-Pierre Renard (Burgundy).

The trips include extensive high-caliber tastings at some of the best estates. They're nearly all-inclusive, including the FWS Master-Level Course, ''full comfort'' hotels, gourmet meals with great wines (bien sur!), all winery tours and tastings and ground transportation. Prices range from $3,495 to $3,895 per person, double occupancy, and each trip is limited to just 18 guests. (Single rates are available or you can ask to be paired up with another single traveler.)

The 2013 schedule included seven trips, three of which have already sold out. Trips still available are:

Languedoc-Roussillon - June 2-7, 2013 (4 spots left)
Bordeaux - September 1-7, 2013
Rhône Valley - Oct. 13-19, 2013
Bourgogne - Oct. 20-26, 2013

To learn more about the trips, click here.

And what if you can't run off to France and drink wine for a week? Then check out the wide range of local learning opportunities the FWS offers in various US cities. For more info, click here.

Then, there are self-guided learning opportunities (study at your own pace) and online webinar based classes, such as the Provence Master Level online Study and Certificate Course which begins January 28. For general info on these programs, click here. For specific info on the Provence class, click here.

FWS director Julien Camus tells me he's happy to answer any questions you might have. Contact him: jcamus@frenchwinesociety.org or call 1-202-640-5466.

Based in Des Moines, Iowa, Wini Moranville writes the popular blog Chez Bonne Femme and covers food for The Des Moines Register, Relish, Better Homes & Gardens and others.A passionate Francophile who has spent summers in France for 20 years, Wini has just written The Bonne Femme Cookbook, to help cooks of all levels make authentic French meals without fuss, fear, or all that butter--''the way real French families eat today,'' she says. And I have three copies of the book to giveaway, thanks to the fine folks at Wini's publisher, The Harvard Common Press.

''I’ve set up house in charming apartments from Paris to the Dordogne, from the Côte d’Azur near Italy, to the Côte Vermeille near Spain,'' Wini reports. ''Everywhere I’ve stayed, I’ve become immersed in the food of the region. I’ve dined in restaurants and in French homes, gleaning cooking tips from the bonnes femmes I’ve met. My days in France would see me heading to the markets, chatting with butchers, greengrocers, and cheesemongers, picking up French cooking magazines, and perusing the menus of the town’s mom-and-pop bistros for inspiration. Most evenings would find me in my little French kitchen, cooking simple yet gratifying dishes akin to what women all over town were serving to their own friends and families.

''The French cherish (and expect!) the pleasures of a great meal at the end of each day,'' Wini continues. ''And yet, most French women don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen any more than we do. I approach French cooking not as a chef or leisure cook, but rather in the spirit of today’s French woman (the bonne femme of my title), who would rather spend more time at the table than in the kitchen. You can cook like the French, no matter where you live. Many of the everyday recipes I’d enjoyed in France translate beautifully to the American table.''

Wini’s emphasis is on simple techniques, affordable, easy-to-find ingredients and speedy prep. Among the 250-plus recipes are classics--onion soup, crisp-skinned roasted chicken, beef Bourguignon, gratin Dauphinois, crème caramel--plus scores of more-modern preparations. Dozens of dishes showcase her clever take on the sauté/deglaze method of cooking: sauté the meat, deglaze the pan with wine and then add a handful of easy-to-find ingredients to make a true-to-France pan sauce...all in 30 minutes or less.

Wini also offers up a new take on French stews and braises, through dishes such as pomegranate pot-au-feu, tuna steaks braised with tomatoes, olives and fennel and others that call for contemporary ingredients assembled in a fix it-and-forget way. ''Believe me, there’s more to the French stewpot than boeuf Bourguignon and coq au vin, though I do include both,'' she adds.

There are also chapters devoted to appetizers, salads, soups, eggs, cheese, and desserts, as well as recipes for dishes you might not think of as French, such as sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, pastas and casseroles.

Wini's book has gotten nice praise from some of the top food writers in the biz. For example, Amanda Hesser, author of The Essential New York Times Cookbook says: “Wini approaches French cooking with the freshness of an outsider and the wisdom of an insider. Her conviction that French home cooking is accessible plays out winningly in recipes like Any-Day Chicken Sauté and Green-on-Green Avocado and Arugula Salad. But I'll relish the book for enticing riffs like Olives with Fennel and Pernod, and for the fact that Moranville writes with such ease and intimacy, you feel you're in France with her, cooking by her side.”

OK on to the giveaway. If you'd like to enter to win a copy of the book, simply leave a comment below, under ''COMMENTS.'' Please be sure to leave your email address so we can reach you if you win; signing in with your Google account is not enough. Tip: The more creative your comment the better! If you love French food, let's hear it! If you don't know French food, tell us why you'd like to. If you've dined around France, tell us why you loved it. We'll pick the winners in a week or two. Good luck!

And if you'd like to go ahead and just order the book, you can do that on Amazon here...and you can follow Wini on Facebook and on Tw itter...

Julie de Waroquier is a young (age 23) French photographer and student of philosophy who lives in Lyon. I came across a recent project of hers called Les Faux-Semblants (the Twins Project) and found the images surreal, strange, beautiful and fun. De Waroquier uses Photoshop and Gimp to manipulate the photos, giving them their dreamy, other-worldly feel.

''Twins have always fascinated me,'' Julie says, ''and not only because I have a twin brother: they are almost magic and yet they are real. The fact that two people look exactly the same...is astonishing. It's like a real dream or like a miracle. In some past or present civilizations, twins are even considered as Gods...or as monsters.''

Julie's twins project won the Emergent Artist Award in France in 2012; you can see all the photos and read more about the project here. And you can see Julie's other work here. (To contact Julie directly, email her: jdewaroquier@gmail.com)

The photos reminded me--and many other people I'm sure--of Diane Arbus' famous 1967 photo Indentical Twins, which you can read all about here.If you want to see how yet another photographer explores the idea of twins, click here. And how about some people who look alike but aren't related at all? Check that out here.

And what's Julie working on now? It's a project about strangers, she says, ''a series depicting humans and animals meeting each other. I want to create stories that intertwine wildlife nature and human imagination.''

Photos (click to enlarge): A few of Julie's twins photos; a pretty butterfly shot from another series of hers; and the famous ''Arbus twins'' (Cathleen and Colleen Wade), at age 7 in homemade dresses...and now.

Scores of gorgeous homes in the South of France are available for rental at various times of the year. For the traveler, the perfect rental can make or break a trip, of course, but finding it can be tricky and time consuming. (Rental agents can be a huge help and you'll find a few recommended ones among my advertisers in the sidebar at left: JustFrance.com, Home-Hunts.com and Just-Provence.com.) But since the 2013 Provence travel planning season is fully upon us, I thought I might also share a special house with you here, every now and then. This week, it's two homes on the same property, rented separately. If you're interested in either, contact the owners directly. And if you mention ProvencePost.com when you book, they'll treat you to dinner in one of our favorite local restaurants, the Bistrot du Paradou. So read on, oh brave villa hunters! Summer's coming!

For the first time ever, Nick and Andrea Morris are planning to rent out their very unique, very beautiful home to one family or group at a time, by the week or longer, in July and August. Normally the five-bedroom property is rented room by room, B&B style. Luxurious, refined and private, La Maison du Paradou nestles at the foot of the Alpilles Mountains, in the tiny village of Paradou, close to Maussane and Les Baux, not far from St. Remy. This 17th-century postal inn has been lovingly renovated; each of the five bedrooms is luxuriously furnished with a bathroom en suite. There are three sitting rooms as well as a multi-level double-vaulted grand salon...a very unique room with a wonderful ambiance. Throughout the house you'll see Nick and Andrea's collection of fine art, antiques and sculpture and find lots of quiet nooks and corners for privacy and quiet. Outdoors La Maison du Paradou offers elegant flowers and landscaping, a lovely pool surrounded by loungers and a large shaded dining table. The 10,000€ per week rental includes daily maid service and daily garden/pool maintenance. Outside of July and August, La Maison du Paradou will return to hotel-style lodging, with B&B room rates of 295€ per night.

A smaller home on the property, this one called La Maison Bleue, is now being offered in the same manner, meaning you and your family or friends take the whole house. La Maison Bleue is completely separate from the main house, with its own entrance, garden and swimming pool. There are three double bedrooms, all with en suite bathrooms, and a small but fully fitted kitchen opening out onto a private dining area. Summer rates for La Maison Bleue are 3,500€ per week, with twice weekly maid service and daily garden/pool maintenance. Rates off season are negotiable.

Don't forget to mention that you saw the house on ProvencePost.com because Nick and Andrea will spring for that dinner if you do. For more info on everything, click here. You can also email (reservations@maisonduparadou.com) or call them: +33 (0)4 90 54 65 46.

Photos: (1, 2, 3) The five-bedroom Maison du Paradou is a renovated 17th-century ''relais de poste'' where a mail carrier and his horse could find food and lodging. The wisteria is--wait for it!--200 years old. (4) La Maison Bleue is completely separate; here's the pool. (5) Owners Nick and Andrea Morris. Many more photos are on the website here. (6) Paradou is a quiet village with one main street and it's a perfect base for visiting many of the most-popular sites in the region, including Les Baux, just a few minutes up the road. Les Baux photo by Philippe Clairo.

Here in Provence, chef Reine Sammut and her husband Guy oversee a glorious sun-drenched realm called the Auberge de la Fenière. The property is home to a four-star country-style hotel with 16 rooms; a fine-dining restaurant serving up traditional fare in a contemporary setting; a country-style bistro called La Cour de Ferme; a cooking school and more…all of it tucked into a gorgeous, unspoiled corner of the Luberon region, between the villages of Lourmarin and Cadenet.

L’Auberge de la Fenière is known for the beauty of the surroundings, the charm of the main old mas (farmhouse), the warmth of the welcome and the quality of the cuisine. It’s also known for great impromptu parties, with Guy’s rock band on stage. Mention Reine and Guy Sammut in these parts and people smile. I don’t know them personally but I’ve long admired their accomplishments. And yes, her name means ‘’Queen’’—how great is that?

So when Reine’s publisher(Hachette Livre, Editions du Chêne) got in touch recently to see if I’d like to give away a few copies of her new book, I couldn’t have been more delighted. Reine Sammut: Mediterranean Cuisinecomes out officially next month…but it's already popping up in bookstores and can be found on Amazon here. It’s Reine’s second book, it’s available in French and in English, and it looks fantastique!

Born and raised in Frizon, a small village in the east of France (in the Vosges), Reine arrived in Provence when she was 14. She planned to be a dentist but fell in love with Guy…and his family…and Provencal food. She started to work at Guy’s family’s inn, the Fenière de Lourmarin, alongside his mom Claudette. Step by step, she mastered the flavors, techniques, ingredients and signature dishes—and became a serious Provençale chef. (She also delves into the cuisines of Sicily, Malta, Tunisia and other Mediterraean neighbors.)

Eventually, Claudette passed the business to Reine and Guy…and they’ve been welcoming friends and strangers here for a remarkable 35 years. Daughters Julia and Nadia have their own careers but are often around as well.

To help her produce the 256-page book, Reine chose author Anne Garabedian (who who started cooking and baking seriously at age 10) and her husband, photographer Jean-Philippe Garabedian (also an accomplished cook). The two spent a full season at the Auberge, to capture in glorious detail the experience of learning to cook with Reine in Provence.

‘’We didn’t want to create an impersonal book, with recipes and a accompanying photos,’’ Anne explains. ‘’Rather, we wanted to tell the story of the cookery course so that readers would feel as though they’d taken part. A cookery course ‘as if you were there’, with recipes, tips, variations, know-how, and accounts from delighted students.’’

Peter Mayle, a neighbor and good friend, wrote the forward to the book. Peter says:

‘’I have admired and enjoyed the cuisine of Reine Sammut for at least 10 years – years during which I never had a disappointing meal, or even a disappointing mouthful….I hope Reine will forgive me when I say that, for me, what she produces from her kitchen is home cooking, but home cooking elevated to the highest degree of sophistication and refinement. It is generous, it tastes wonderful and, as you will see from the pages that follow, it is remarkably accessible. You don’t need a kitchen filled with test tubes, a team of assistants, or a university degree in multi-sensory perception. Good ingredients, enthusiasm, and close attention to Reine’s tips and advice will help you achieve a level of cooking that will surprise you.’’

OK, on to the free books! The publisher and their US distributor, ACC Distribution, have offered me two to give away. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment under ''comments'' below. The more creative your comment, the better! And please be sure to leave your email address too or we won't be able to reach you if you win; signing in with your Google address is not enough.

Meanwhile, if you want to experience the Auberge de la Fenière, you can read all about it here. And if you go, don’t be surprised to find Mr. Mayle at the next table. ‘’One of the great treats of spring, for my wife and I,’’ he writes, ‘’is the prelude to that first lunch eaten outside on the terrace of La Fenière, menu in one hand, a glass of rosé in the other, taste buds tingling with anticipation. Heaven!’’

Photos: The book (which is available in French and English), the Auberge de la Feniere, Reine Sammut...and photos from the book, which is meant to capture the experience of a class at Reine's cooking school. All photos except landscape by Jean-Philippe Garabedian.

Chef Alain Ducasse has just added yet another delicious enterprise to his extensive culinary empire, which already includes 27 restaurants worldwide (three of them with three Michelin stars), plus hotels, cooking schools, a consulting division and more. Oui, Mr. Ducasse jumped into the world of high-end chocolate today with the opening of La Manufacture de Chocolat Alain Ducasse in Paris.

The celebrity chef teamed up with pastry chef/chocolatier Nicolas Berger to transform a former garage into a unique 'bean-to-bar chocolate workshop and store, where customers can watch just about every aspect of the chocolate-making process, starting with the roasting of carefully-selected cocoa beans from Peru, Sao Tomé, Madagascar, Dominican Republic, Trinidad, Vietnam and beyond. La Manufacture is at 40 rue de la Roquette, at the back of a small cobbled courtyard in the 11th arrondissement, not far from the Bastille.

The superstar chef says this has been a dream of his ever since he apprenticed under chocolatier Michel Chaudun at the legendary Lenôtre in Paris in 1975. Later, while working with Alain Chapel in Mionnay, Ducasse used his days off to train with Maurice Bernachon, the famed artisan-chocolatier from Lyon. ''Chocolate bewitches me,'' Ducasse says today. ''It opens doors to imagination and creation....Like a hidden treasure, it demands a high level of method, precision and proficiency. And now I'm inviting you to enter this unique universe.''

Nicolas Berger also fell under the spell of chocolate quite young. Working with his father Paul Berger, an artisan chocolatier in Lyon, Nicolas would spend full days coating bonbons in the workshop. After working for the esteemed chocolatiers Hévin, Peltier and Ladurée in Paris, Nicolas went abroad: to Genoa, first, followed by New York where he landed at Pâtisserie Payard. Alain Ducasse hired him away to be head pastry chef for his restaurant in the Essex House, followed by the same position at Restaurant Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athénée in Paris. Finally, Nicolas was named executive head pastry chef for the whole company. Nicolas spent four years traveling and sharing his expertise with the Ducasse team around the globe.

It took nearly three years for the two men to scout out the perfect location; it had to be in the very heart of Paris and meet all the technical requirements (an extraction system, strong floors, wide access for deliveries, etc). The partners wanted a ‘’raw and authentic’’ feel, to enhance their concept of ''transparency'' in every aspect of the chocolate-making process. The furniture and fixtures came mostly from flea markets and antique shops and were adapted to the space; the heavy steel gates with brass handles came from a former Bank of France building, as did the shelves where tools are now lined up alongside boxes and chocolate bars. The suspended lamps once hung from a 1930s military ship and the drain board in the dishwashing area was formerly a train luggage rack.

‘’We’re both very fond of vintage and we love antiquing,’’ Nicolas explains. ‘’So we used this passion to decorate and furnish the Manufacture. Even the moulds for the little chocolate Easter fish (a French tradition) where recuperated from old family boxes. Fish with such personality… they don’t make them like this anymore!’’

But one of the greatest challenges of the project was sourcing the right machines, many of which also led previous lives; tracking them all down took almost four years. ‘’Today, the only machines still manufactured are intended for industrial or semi-industrial use, with a capacity of five tonnes or more,’’ Nicolas explains. ‘’We needed to find machines with capacities of 150 to 200 kilograms..." [A tonne is equal to 1000 kilograms.]

Advised by mostly retired craftsmen, Nicolas travelled all over Europe looking at old machines. Some he found he found dusty and abandoned in dark corners; others had long ago put to other uses: the sorter was being used for Jordan almonds, for example, and the Fryma mill had been used to grind mustard seeds. Methodically, manuals and technical data sheets were gathered...missing parts were ordered...and other pieces were custom made. The bellows on the old tarare (cocoa crusher) was recovered from an ancient confectionary in Italy, then reassembled by an artisan blacksmith in the Paris region. Each machine was restored with the utmost care and respect. "And still, very frequently, especially when first restarting the machines, I got a few surprises!’’ Nicolas says. Along the way, he says he became an excellent handyman, one who ‘’can assemble and dismantle his Bühler grinder in a flash!’’

I can imagine how magnificent the the shop smells right now...and the excitement of the staff as the doors finally open today...and the row upon row of irresistible bars and bon bons, pralines and truffles, ganache and caramels...everything made from superior ingredients sourced from all over the word…all the exotic, vibrant new flavors and all the old favorites too.

I can also imagine how the Parisian foodies must be flocking today to have the very first irresistable tastes….

Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse
Manufacture à Paris

40, rue de la Roquette
75011 Paris
Tel : 01 48 05 82 86

Web: lechocolat-alainducasse.com (under construction)
Metro : Bastille
Open Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 7 pm

Photos: Chocolate in its various states at La Manufacture; the idea is bean-to-bar manufacturing of the very highest quality and customers can see just abut every part of the process. At the machine is Nicolas Berger, the executive head pastry chef for Groupe Alain Ducasse. Berger is the son of a well-known chocolatier in Lyon and, like Ducasse, he was bit by the chocolate bug early. Photos #1, #7 and #9 by Pierre Monetta; all other photos by Stephanie Fray.

Want to read more about Ducasse? My story about his recent party celebrating the 25th anniversary of his Le Louis XV in Monte Carlo, is here. And for my story on the posh picnics at Ducasse's Bastide de Moustiers, click here.

What used to be the the Cathedrale des Images is now the Carrières de Lumières...the Quarries of Light...a magical space in a vast cave-like quarry at the base of the village of Les Baux. And their new sound and light show is about to begin. It's called ''Monet, Renoir...Chagall: Journeys Around the Mediterranean'' and you have almost a year to see it: it runs from March 8, 2013 to January 5, 2014.

The Cathedrale closed in 2011 and re-opened a year ago, with new management (the folks at Culturespaces) and state-of-the-art technology. Rumor has it that more than €2 million was spent to refurbish the 5000-square-meter site at the time; the last show (''Gauguin, Van Gogh: Painters of Color'') drew great reviews and 239,000 people came to see it. Now, thanks to further improvements done in advance of the new show, close to 100 video projectors will generate the carefully choreographed movement of 3,000 images over an area of more than 7,000 square meters, onto walls as high as 14 meters (45 feet), onto the ceilings and even the floor.

Here's what Culturespaces says about ''Monet, Renoir...Chagall: Journeys Around the Mediterranean'':

''In the second half of the 19th century, many artists left Paris and the North behind, attracted by the light of the South, setting up their easels between the Spanish border and the Italian Riviera. Their artistic personalities were revealed through the contact with seascapes portraying the Mediterranean coast which they depicted in a wide diversity of styles. After a prologue devoted to Joseph Vernet, visitors will be plunged in seven sequences into the world of the Impressionists, with Monet and Renoir, the Pointillists, with Signac and Cross, the Fauves, with Camoin, Derain, Vlaminck, Friesz, Manguin, Marquet and Valtat, etc....and of course Matisse. You'll also discover the palette of bright colours used by Bonnard and Dufy, ultimately coming to one of the most important colourists of modern art: Chagall. All together you'll see, through dramatic projections, 15 artists' impressions of the Mediterranean and its extraordinary light.''

The Carrières de Lumières is located in the Val d’Enfer, a stone's throw from Les Baux. The quarry was created over the years for extracting the white limestone used in the construction of the village of Les Baux and its chateau. In 1935, economic competition from modern materials led to the closure of the quarries. Dramatic and otherworldly looking, the area has inspired artists of all sorts; the Val d'Enfer provided the setting for Dante’s Divine Comedy and Gounod created his opera Mireille here. Later, Cocteau came to film The Testament of Orpheus in these very quarries. The Carrières du Val d’Enfer has been awarded Natural Monument status in France.

The Carrières de Lumières are open every day from 9.30 am to 7 pm (March to September) and from 10 am to 6 pm (October to January).

Carrières de Lumières
Route de Maillane
13520 Les Baux de Provence
Tel. : +33 4 90 54 47 37
carrieres-lumieres.com
message@carrieres-lumieres.com

The Grenache gang is at it again! On Sunday night March 10th, you're invited to an evening celebrating Grenache wines (white, pink and red)...and the people who love them. Thirty winemakers from different appellations will be present and pouring at the party, where there will be live music and more.

G Night grew out of the Grenache Symposium, a major meetup of 250 wine professionals from 23 countries who first gathered in 2010. The symposium was the brainchild ofSteven Spurrier (a British wine author and expert), Nicole Rolet (of Chêne Bleu in Crestet)and Walter McKinlay (of theDomaine de Mourchonestate in Seguret). Educating the public about the grape and putting more marketing muscle behind the wines were of course high on the agenda. By all accounts, the winemakers are succeeding at both, through events like G Night and other initiatives.

G Night Avignon starts at 6:30 pm but the first part of the evening is for the trade only: buyers, importers, retailers, restaurateurs, sommeliers and other wine pros. From 9:30 pm onward, the party is open to everyone as long as space is available. Tickets are 12€ and reservations are recommended. To reserve: 06 61 60 95 96, marlene@grenachesymposium.com

G Night will be held at Delirium, at #1 rue Mignard in Avignon.

If you miss G Night in Avignon, there will be one in Dusseldorf on March 24.

For more info about Grenache grapes, wines and more:

grenache-association.com

facebook.com/grenachesymposium
grenacheday.com
facebook.com/grenacheday
@grenache_global

I just got word that the deadline has been extended five days on this wonderful initiative for young tech businesses in Europe.

On April 4th, Girls in Tech Paris will host the third annual European Lady Pitch Night, where five startups will be brought out to Paris (all expenses paid) to compete in a pitch competition. To qualify? You must have your HQ in Europe, have at least one female co-founder and have been in business for at least six months, but no more than three years. And finally, your company must have developed or be developing a tech product (Internet, mobile, software, video game, electronic, etc.). The deadline for applications is now March 15th and you can apply here.

Last year’s event drew 60 applications from startups in 11 countries. The five selected startups pitched to Gilles Babinet, Orange, LeWeb and other event sponsors.

Girls in Tech and European Lady Pitch Night are both working to build and support the European tech startup scene. According to Liam Boogar of The Rude Baguette (which does the same thing, more specifically to France, and is a marvelous resource): 'There are a lot of great angel investors & VCs in France who only get deal flow in France because, well, no other startups come out here. This event is a great chance for European startups to get their name out there in the French market! While our company Rude Media won’t be pitching (despite our awesome female cofounder!), we’ll certainly be keeping an eye on some of the awesome female entrepreneurs coming out to the event.''

The public is welcome at the conference on April 4 and tickets will be available here. GIT Paris stresses that the event and the group are both open to both men and women.

For more info on Girls in Tech Paris, see their site here. They're also on Facebook and Twitter.

Meanwhile, if the French startup, tech and digital world interests you, make sure to subscribe to Rude Baguette here. They'll be hosting their own event, the Paris Pub Summit, at the DelaVille Café in Paris on March 22nd at 19:30; it's co-hosted by the Web Summit and it's designed for entrepreneurs, investors, press and the rest of the international startup community. All the info on the Paris Pub Summit is here.

*Like this post? Then why not subscribe? Just click here...

I loved the Cool Tourist map of Arles as soon as my friend Sébastien Lopez sent it to me; Seb co-owns the Arles-based company, Cool Tourist, that produces it. Yes, businesses pay to be included (300€ or 500€ for half- or full-size ads) but I love the creative idea, the strong graphics and I love that the ads are personalized, with the name and photo of each business owner. Nice touch! The first print run on the Arles map was 50,000 and Seb thinks you may still find them (free) in some of the participating hotels, shops and restaurants. The plan is to reprint once a year and the 2013 Arles map will be available in early May. But the really fun news here is that Seb and his partner, Alexandre, got such a great response to the first Arles map that they're now working on a version for St. Remy...along with a map of the vineyards and olive oil domaines in the AOC Alpilles region; those maps come out in early May as well. (Those will have the cities on the front and the surrounding area on the back.) Then, maps for Uzes, Aigues-Morte and possibly the Southern Luberon will follow. For more info, the Cool Tourist website is here, their Twitter is here and their Facebook page is here. Or, email them: sebastien@thecooltourist.com or alexandre@thecooltourist.com

Photos: The Cool Tourist St. Remy Map 2013 will be out in early May. The inside front and back of the 2012 Arles map looks like this. Four examples of the many advertisers on the 2012 Arles map. The Wines and Olive Oil Map of the Alpilles will also be out in early May.

The owners of the Mama Shelter hotel in Paris (opened late 2008) and Marseille (opened in 2012), have done it again: the 156-room Mama Shelter Lyon opens today. It comes right on the heels of the March 15th opening of Mama Shelter Istanbul, the first Mama Shelter outside France.

In Lyon, the hotel has once again been designed by Philippe Starck, a partner in the company. And once again former Michelin starred superchef Alain Senderens is overseeing the food, along with Jérôme Banctel. The restaurant is French and ''Lyon inspired.''

Mama Shelter Lyon is at #13, Rue Domer, a stone's throw from the Place Jean Macé district. I love what the press materials say about the location: ''the city’s urban epicentre exudes an energy that reflects the Brooklyn of our dreams.''

Amenities at Mama Shelter Lyon include free WiFi throughout, a huge bar, six meeting rooms (some with table soccer, bars, and darts), DJs, live music and cabareton Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and occasional lectures and forums.

Rates normally begin at 79€ but special 49€ rates on certain rooms are being offered until August 31st. For more info or to reserve, click here.Meanwhile, look out for the next Mama Shelter, launching in Bordeaux, probably in October.

Mama Shelter Lyon
13, rue Domer
69007 Lyon, France
Tel 04 78 02 58 00
lyon@mamashelter.com
mamashelter.com

Photos: Mama Shelter logo; a room in the new Lyon hotel; the hotel company's founders: Benjamin Trigano, Serge Trigano, Philippe Starck, Cyril Aouizerate and Jeremie Trigano.

Down on the Côte d’Azur, my friend Lanie Goodman wears way more than her share of hats. In addition to teaching part time at the SKEMA Business School at Sophia-Antipolis,she writes about travel, food, film, books, art, architecture and design for a wide range of top publications including the Wall Street Journal, Elle Décor, Interior Design and Conde Nast Traveller. Plus, she does translation—and has translated four contemporary novels from French into English.

Having lived in France for 24 years, Lanie has a very wide network, with personal and professional contacts in all the fields above. So when the UK-based publisher Cico Books was looking for someone to produce and write a book on romantic French home design, Lanie seemed a natural.

True to form, my gal pal hit the road running. Her first assignment was to actually find the properties that would be profiled and photographed…not such an easy task given that French homeowners tend to be quite private. But slowly and diligently, Lanie was able to gather a group of wonderful houses, to convince the owners to share their compelling stories and then encourage them to open their doors once again, so their homes and beautiful possessions could be photographed. She toured roughly 30 homes and eventually selected 14. “I knew immediately which were right,” she says. “We didn’t want decorated or ‘done up’ homes--it was more about an artfully assembled mix of different styles and an atmosphere that reflects the ‘soul’ of the owners. Often, the history of the walls were part of the story.”

In publishing terms, the project was a rush—it took just seven months--and the book came out last week. Go Lanie!

And, as I often do when I find a book I think you’ll love, I’ve asked the publisher for some copies for you to win. Graciously, Cico Books said yes to two copies. So if you’d like to win one, just leave a comment under “comments” at the end of this story. Meanwhile, here’s a bit more about the book…

The properties in Romantic French Homes are spread out across France, from the city streets of Paris to Megeve in the French Alps; from the windswept coast of Normandy to the heart of Provence and the sun-baked shores of the Riviera. There are classic country houses which have been in the same family for generations, tiny boltholes, city apartments, quirky seaside homes and more. Each home has its own very-individual character, reflecting the owners and their passions.

In Paris we get a glimpse of a sophisticated pied-a-terre owned by an acclaimed musician. In the Alps, we’re invited into a chalet built with reclaimed wood from surrounding old farmhouses. Another property is a grand château owned by Alexis de Tocqueville, filled with antiques collected by generations of the de Tocqueville family.

The book is divided into four chapters: Châteaux (castles, châteaux, grand country houses, and town houses); Bastides (old manors and farmhouses); Maisons Bohèmes (artist's, writer's and seaside homes); and Paysannes and Pavilions (small and simple, thrifty and humble town houses and country houses). Whether grand and imposing or humble and rustic, the authentic charm and history of these houses shines through.

One of Lanie’s most serendiptous finds was in St. Tropez, while trying to locate Colette's home, La Treille Muscate. The writer had lived just outside the village for many years…before Bardot…before it was fashionable. ‘’I knew where it was on the map,’’ Lanie recalls, ‘’so I parked my car and began walking towards the house, hoping to catch a glimpse of what I remembered from the photos. Obviously, most of the villas in St. Tropez today are hidden by high walls replete with intercoms and cameras, but I happened to stumble upon a very inviting property in passing--a little Provencal stone mas surrounded by an overgrown lush garden, a pool, and trees strung with paper lanterns. A gypsy caravan sat in one corner, a giant Indonesian day bed draped with beautiful fabrics by the pool. La bohème! The gate was wide open so I walked in. A lovely suntanned woman in bare feet and jeans came to greet me with a smile--I apologized for trespassing and asked if, by any chance, this was Colette's former home. She said 'It's just down the road. But this used to be Marcel Pagnol's house. Would you like to see it?’ You bet I did. And it’s one of my favorite homes in the book.”

The 176-page hardcover has 150 or so color photos by English photographer Simon Brown and can be found in bookshops and boutiques.

Ok! How to win a copy? Simply leave a comment below, by clicking the word ''comments,'' and you'll be entered into the giveaway. Please don’t forget to include your email address so we can reach you if you win; signing in with your Google account is not enough.

You can also buy the book on Amazon here (US) or here (UK).

If you’re in Nice on Thursday, March 28, be sure to pop by the Librairie Massena at #55, rue Gioffredo (tel 04 93 80 90 16). Lanie will be there from 6:30 pm onward, greeting friends, sharing stories and signing books.

To see all the current Cico Books titles, click here. To follow them on Twitter: @cicobooks

Photos: 1. One of the 14 houses in the book is the 18th-century-style bastide “Les Confines,” near St. Remy de Provence. The exterior was rendered more elegant by limewashing the facade, realigning and enlarging the windows and repainting the shutters in a natural shade of green that would harmonize with the garden. “The five magnificent plane trees and the underground source were a real draw,” says owner Dominique Lafourcade, an artist and landscape architectwhose passion for gardens is reflected in the design of the bastide’s interiors as well. To replace an unsightly metal shed in front of the house, the owners dug out an oval pond, filled with water lilies and connected it to a long central ribbon of water, which serves as the geometric “spinal column” of the garden. Dominique is married to well-known architect Bruno Lafourcade, who runs his high-profile firm withhis architect son, Alexandre. 2.The cheery country kitchen is the central hub of activity since the owners are passionate cooks. The antique wooden farm table, found locally, was given a Verona marble tabletop. For added color, the simple chairs, from a brocante market, were painted blue. The walls are decorated with Salernes ceramic tiles from Alain Vagh. 3.The cozy winter living room is a fanciful mix of trompe l’oeil murals, lamps, mirror frames and faux animal-skin chairs. 4. The dining room is a patchwork of color and whimsy, filledwith local animal-themed bric à brac and garden flowers. Dominique's trompe l’oeil murals depict the couple’s favorite landscapes from their travels. 5. A view from the bastide terrace. The 20-acre property includes two swimming pools bordered by greenery, a flower and vegetable garden, a fruit orchard and a fanciful African garden hemmed in by bamboo with rare exotic plants. The smaller southwest-facing dining terrace faces a garden of clipped ornamental round hedges. “It’s the perfect spot to enjoy the last rays of light before sunset,” says Dominique.

Thirty five hundred lots of furniture, decorative items, lighting, fine wine and more from the legendary Parisian Hôtel Le Crillon will be auctioned off at the hotel April 18 to 21, following its closing on March 31st. The hotel will undergo a complete renovation and reopen in spring, 2015.

A public exhibition of the auction items will be held April 12th to 16th.

"This event will be the perfect synthesis between an ‘interiors’ sale and a ‘memorabilia’ sale, in which anyone will be able to own… a part of the dream of this unequalled Parisian palace,'' says François Tajan, co-president of Artcurial, the premier French auction house handling the sale.

The luxurious five-star hotel was first constructed in 1758 after King Louis XV commissioned the architect Jaques-Ange Gabriel to build two palaces on in what would become the Place de la Concorde.The two identical buildings, separated by the rue Royale, were designed to be government offices.

On February 6, 1778, the building was the venue for the official signing of the first treaties between France and the newly-founded United States.

Ten years later, the Count of Crillon acquired the building and moved in. But it was confiscated shortly thereafter by the government of the French Revolution in 1791. Two years later King Louis XVI was guillotined in the Place de la Concorde, directly in front of the building. Eventually the building was returned to its owner whose descendants lived there for more than a century. In 1907, the Societe du Louvre purchased the property and transformed it into a hotel. The building underwent a two-year refurbishment and two neighboring buildings were added. The new Hotel de Crillon opened on March 12, 1909.

The five-day sale will feature furniture, lighting, silver, porcelain, tapestries, trimmings….all of the decorative arts. Each piece will bear the name “Hotel de Crillon.’’ Certain pieces will be personalized by artists, couturiers and decorators, and will be sold to benefit charities. A selection of wines and spirits is also being auctioned.

So what might you pick up? How about a bar created by César in 1982 (valued up to €12,000) or a Philippe Starck for Baccarat “Dark Super’’ console table from the restaurant Les Ambassadeurs (€15,000)? Trop cher? Then perhaps a Christofle majogany and silver plate dessert trolley (€3000 to €4000), a molded crystal and silver plated Lalique light fixture (€3000 to €4000) or a large wood veneer, gilt bronze and marquetry Louis XVI-style desk from the lobby (€300 to €400) would be just the thing. There will also be silk curtains, linens with the Crillon crest, cast-iron garden furniture and much more.

Tough luck if you had your eye some of those Baccarat chandeliers or the fountains from the conservatory of the Château de Versailles—they’re not for sale.

Luc Delafosse, director of Crillon says the sale will “mark the beginning of the Crillon of tomorrow while continuing the magic of the myth.’’

The two-year renovation of the 147-room hotel will be led by three top interior decorators: Cyril Vergniol, Chahan Minassian and Tristan Auer, under the artistic direction of Aline d’Amman. The goal will be ‘’to enhance the noblesse and elegance of the site while conserving the atmosphere of an 18th century hôtel particulier, in which many salons and suites are classified Historical Monuments.”

Who will actually run the Crillon when it reopens remains anyone’s guess. It's currently owned by a Saudi Prince, who bought it in 2010 for a reported €250 million. The French press reports that the Prince has been talking with the U.S. hotelierRosewood about taking over the management; Rosewood was bought by the Chinese firm New World Hospitality Group in 2011. I read that Rosewood is currently favored over Sofitel, part of the French hotel giant Accor. The Crillon says no decision has been made.

Here's all the auction info...

The Viewing: Friday April 12 to Tuesday 16 April 2013, 10 am to 8 pm.Evening hours: Monday April 15 until 10 pm.

The Auction: Thursday April 18, Friday 19, Saturday 20, Sunday 21and Monday April 22, everyday at 10 am and 2:30 pm.

The Catalog(€50) is available from catalogue@artcurial.com. You can browse it here.

For more info: click here.

Photos: The Crillon as it looks today...and a poster celebrating the opening in 1909. Among the items to be auctioned are a bar made by César and furniture from the lobby, terraces, Presidential (and other) suites, terraces, lobby and restaurant Les Ambassadeurs.

Born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin, Brianna Wilson is a young journalist who'll graduate next month from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Particularly interested in food writing, Brianna spent three weeks this past semester in Aix-en-Provence, doing independent study focused on culinary journalism. ''My advisor and I agreed upon texts to help guide my writing,'' she says, ''and I turned in two polished pieces a week via my food blog, plus a culminating piece on my experiences.'' She also wrote the story below, a quick foodies' tour of Aix.

Getting ready to graduate, Brianna is now hunting a full-time job or internship anywhere in the U.S.; her dream job would be entry-level position on a food magazine but she says she'll pursue any good opportunity. Please email her (wilsonbr@stolaf.edu) if you have ideas!

Brianna is also dreaming, of course, of her next voyage to France as this one was a rollicking success. ''It was such an inspirational trip,'' she says. The baguettes, cafes and espresso sent me into a writing frenzy. I had a unique vantage: one of a college student venturing to a foreign country alone, on her own dime, with minimal knowledge of French. My independent study was about culinary journalism, but the real journey transcended ingredients and technique. It was about culture, connection and passion. It was definitely a love story between myself and French cuisine!''

Here's Brianna:

When it comes to foodie recommendations, guidebooks suffice, but locals excel.

While staying in Aix, I was lucky enough to break baguettes with a French couple, Agathe Plauchut and Pauline Guibbaud. By the end of dinner, I was left with a long culinary to-do list of Aix-en-Provence’s finest; and more importantly, a dinner invitation.

A chocoholic, I had already tasted chocolat chaudat Brûlerie Richleme in Place Richelme. Much thicker than hot chocolate in the United States, it wasn’t quite as viscous as the Italian version. The petite size is more than enough and costs merely €1.50. If you’re hankering to make it at home later, consider buying their mix for €6.90. Ask to have it outside and sit beneath the Brûlerie’s cozy heaters. Prime people-watching time is in the early evening, as the Aixoise meet for pastis and conversation.

Also in the Place Richelme is Boulangerie Lavarenne, the pair’s go-to place for bread and patisseries. Ask for a banon instead of the more mainstream baguette. Made with a different type of flour, it's softer but still dense. Follow up with a tarte au citron. The rectangular pastry has a hidden crust beneath its creamy sweet-then-sour filling. Don't try to share; at €2.40 each, it’s worth buying two.

Hidden above a souvenir shop, visitors to Aix could easily missThé Mandarine in the Place de l’Hotel de Ville (City Hall Plaza). The quaint tea salon is the perfect place to perch for an afternoon and watch the world bustle on by. Choose from an extensive list of thé, café, fresh-squeezed fruit juice, chocolat chaud and sirop (syrup that can be added to water like grenadine or Italian soda).

The smelliest stop, Fromagerie Andre Savelli is in close proximity to Place Richelme. Though a little pricier than other fromageries, my new best friends insist it’s worth it. Order any type of chèvre; try the one with Herbes de Provence if you’re feeling traditional. The chèvre is available in small wheels, starting at €3.10. Beware that any cheese marked “cru” has not been pasteurized.

Head to Picard in the southern edge of Aix for gourmet frozen food. For squeamish seafood lovers, it’s the ideal place to get escargot outside restaurants. The girls recommend gratin dauphinois, a French dish featuring scalloped potatoes. While recipes vary, the Picard version features cream, cheese, salt and eggs. For those cringing at “frozen food,” consider this: Agathe and Pauline's Christmas dinner was comprised of dishes from Picard. If the French consider it bon appétit, so should you!

The final destination was perhaps the most authentic: leur appartement (their apartment), for an exceptional dinner of adobo with wild boar leg. Not to be found in any boucherie, the leg is usually available only through hunters. Pauline obtained the leg – hair, hoof and all – by winning a game of bingo. She wanted to trade it for champignons (mushrooms), but Agathe protested. The pair had to empty their refrigerator to stash the leg until they were able to clean and cook it. The bloody task four hours, even with twelve hands.

To make adobo, the two women combined red wine, shredded boar, Herbes de Provence and orange zest. The mixture cooked over low heat for eight to ten hours before being served atop pasta.

Safe travels and bon appétit!

Photos: Fromagerie Andre Savelli; hot chocolate at Brûlerie Richelme; Lavarenne is Pauline and Agaght's favorite spot for both bread and pastry;Thé Mandarineis hidden away above the Chat Reveur; inside Thé Mandarine. All photos by Brianna Wilson. To see Brianna's blog/online portfolio, click here. To email her: wilsonbr@stolaf.edu

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In 1950, Jacques Bon bought what was then a vast sheep farm in the Camargue, with a pretty 350-year-old bastide (country home) on it. Lucille, an architect, came into Jacques’ life in 1983 and the couple married in ‘87. They renovated the property completely in 1992 and opened the beautiful country house hotel Le Mas de Peint two years later. Today the family business includes the five-star hotel and its restaurant; a 500-hectare rice and alfalfa farm; and a ranch called Manade Jacques Bon, which is home to 30 horses and 250 free-range, grass-fed bulls (taureaux). In total, the estate is 1300 acres and it’s quite unique and fabulous.

Jacques passed away in 2010 but Lucille and their son, Frédéric, have firmly kept the reins. The vibe here is unspoiled nature with pampering nurture--a fabulous combination indeed. Hotel guests may enjoy a large pool, access to a private beach, massage, biking, riding, animal viewing by 4 x 4, bull competitions and shows, and special events such as live music and ‘’Journées Camarguaises.’’

The ‘’Journées Camarguaises’’ are open to the public and the new season is about to begin.

Called Camargue Days in English, they give visitors a chance to learn all about the life of the ranch and the French cowboys (gardians),who look after it. This year, the event is being offered on six Sundays: April 21, May 19, June 9, June 23, September 15 and September 29.

The full day of activities (10:30 am to 5 pm) includes a traditional ferrade (branding) and other demonstrations, an apero and lunch, live music and a course a la cocarde (a difficult competition in which gardians pluck ribbons from the horns of the bull). Horse back riding and tractor-drawn tours of the ranch are offered at an extra charge.

Prices are 38€ (adults); 19€ (ages 5 to 12); and free for kids under 5. To book: 04 90 97 28 50 or contact@manade-jacques-bon.com. To see a menu, a map and more, click here.

If you want to experience Mas de Peint another way, you can just come for lunch or dinner. In summer, meals are served on a pretty candle-lit terrace, tented with billowy fabric that lets breezes in and keeps mosquitoes out. When the weather cools, chef Vincent Laisney hosts you right in his large, lovely old kitchen, with its gorgeous stove and marble buffet.

In low season (until late June), they serve lunch on Sat and Sun only: menus range from 41 € (main course and dessert) to 66 € (starter, main course, cheese, dessert). From June to September, lunch is a la carte only, served every day. For dinner, the restaurant is open every night except Thursday year round, serving a la carte (main courses €16 to 28 €) and menus at €59 (three courses) and 66€ (four courses). It’s best to book ahead because hotel guests snap up seats quickly. All the info you’ll need about dining appears on the Mas de Peint website here.

If you do decide to stay over, Mas de Peint offers eight rooms and five suites, all unique in design and decor, with one suitable for limited mobility. Rates range from €235 to €435 (high season) and if you want the most-popular room, ask for The Loft. Upscale tent accommodations have recently been added and they were a huge hit when a group from Hermès held a meeting here not long ago. But they have to be specially arranged.

If you'll be in Provence next weekend (April 19), Mas de Peint is offering two- and three-night Flamenco Packages with live gypsy guitar music; I've heard the group, Gipsy del Mundo, and they're terrific. All that info is here.

Mas de Peint is 1 km south of Le Sambuc on the route D36 in the Parc Naturel Régional de Camargue, southwest of Arles. Their contact info is: 04 90 97 20 62, contact@masdepeint.com; their site is masdepeint.com. Directions: From Arles, take direction Stes Maries de la Mer. Turn left onto the D36, direction Salin de Giraud and La Sambuc, and go about 20 km until you see the sign.

Photos: (1, 2, 3) The gardians who look after the Manade Jacques Bon. (4) Jacques Bon, who passed away in 2010, on one of his beloved white Camargue horses. (5) Cowboys from central casting. (6) The hotel building is 17th century. (7) All 13 guestrooms and suites are unique in design and decor. (8) In warm weather, meals are served on this pretty terrace. (9) Chef Vincent Laisney's food is considered some of the very best in the region.

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