Provence (PACA)

The Provence city of Avignon (84 Vaucluse) holds its 63rd annual international festival of the performing arts (Festival d’Avignon) from 7-29 July 2009.

The Festival d’Avignon has long been an international platform for the performing arts, gathering artists and audiences from all around the world.
This year, the programme welcomes artists and performances from many countries and many languages will be heard on the festival stages:French from three different continents as well as English, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Polish, German and Hebrew.

For more info see www.festival-avignon.com

The best way to get there would be to take the Eurostar and TGV train direct from London - city centre to city centre, economical and environmentally friendly.

The town of Orange in the heart of the Rhone Valley hosts one of the oldest festivals of music and opera  in France  (les Choregies d’Orange) from 11 July to 4 August 2009. The festival takes place in the classic Roman theatre, which provides a spectacular backdrop for the music of Tchaikowski, Berlioz, Mascagni, Leoncavallo and others, with a headline performance of Verdi’s la Traviata.

For more info see www.choregies.com

For many the black and white photos of Robert Doisneau encapsulate a vision of France as we romantically wish to remember it in the 1950s.
In Avignon this summer (18 June - 11 November 2009) the Musee Angladon-Dubreujeaud is showing a collection of his photos of other artists (including Picasso, Braque and Utrillo) in their studios. These are 55 seldom-seen images which look at the artists somewhat differently, and Dosineau was a major figure in French photography.

Be warned that he is a very poplular artist - an exhibition of his work in Paris in 2006 was sold out.

The museum is also worth seeing for some of its other treasures including Van Gogh, Modigliani, Degas and Cezanne.

Musée ANGLADON 5, rue Laboureur , 84000 Avignon

The Juan-les-Pins Jazz Festival runs from 11-19 July 2009.

A glorious summer combination of the delights of the Cote d’Azur and a top rate Jazz Festival are on offer at Juan-les-Pins (06 Alpes-Maritimes, France) with artists such as Jeff Beck, Joss Stone and Jamie Cullum on the schedule (and many more) offering a wide variety of Jazz styles.

For more info see www.antibesjuanlespins.com

Of course Juan-les-Pins and neighbouring Antibes are worth visitng whether you are a Jazz fan or not. with this idyllic (and often exclusive) peninsula surrounded by the Mediterranean - and the Musee Picasso at the Chateau Grimaldi is a must-see.

“A visit to the Picasso Museum is a moving experience. It evokes joy and pain, despondency and exultation. Visitors cannot help but sense all that has gone on within these walls that were the Antibes Chateau. There was the delicate balance of a family relationship and the ensuing drama; the intrusion of the museum on the chateau; the silence and the magic. The chateau of Antibes is poetic, serious and joyous at one and the same time, like the sea that is visible from many of its windows. A place which saw nobility and poverty and which one day became the home of the Spanish artist Picasso, who continued the magic. The museum is not to be understood, it is to be experienced. It is what it is, take it or leave it.”
For more info on Antibes/Juan-les=Pins see the Office de Tousime at  www.antibesjuanlespins.com

Aix-en-Provence (13 Bouches-du-Rhone, Provence) is staging an exhibition of 20th Century masters this summer with the Picasso - Cézanne Exhibition  which is open from  25 May – 27 September 2009.

This exhibition demonstrates the Musée Granet’s commitment to highlighting the work of Cézanne in its temporary exhibitions, with particular emphasis given to the artist’s role as the father of modern art and his artistic relationship with other 20C masters.

Cezanne was born in Aix-en-Provence in 1839 (died 1906) and was a major inspiration for Picasso (1881 - 1972) - this exhibition (open daily) beings together a variety of important paintings, sculptures, drawings and engravings which were key to Picasso’s artistic development. With the neaby Montagne de Ste Victoire, which was a favourite subject of Degas provence paintings, this has to be worth a significant detour.

Musée Granet, Place Saint Jean de Malte 13100 Aix-en-Provence
Tel: + 33 (0)4 42 52 88 32
www.museegranet-aixenprovence.fr

The towns of the French Riviera have been synonymous with wealth and sophistication since the mid nineteenth century. The pretty town of Nice, cradled by mountains that curve around to meet its majestic shoreline, is baked in year-round Mediterranean sunshine. Its central location and the excellent local rail and road connections make Nice an ideal base for exploring the French Riviera.
Nice is one of those charming towns full of affluent ladies of a certain age with pampered pooches in tow.  A harmonious blend of old and new, it`s a place where sumptuous old palaces sit alongside typical downmarket cafes where local workmen take their morning break.  Nice`s palm-fringed seafront promenade is dotted with fountains and lined with the most opulent of hotels, chateaux, aristocratic mansions and museums; the perfect place for an evening stroll and a touch of celebrity-spotting. Within the old town, the sunny squares around Cours Saleya come alive every morning to the sights, smells and sounds of the local market, overlooked by the austerity of impressive baroque chapels full of frescoes and chandeliers.

Every year Nice holds its fabulous Carnival in February, (13-29 Februart 2010) and the air fills with rhythm and soulful melodies for the famous jazz festival in July  (18-25 July 2009)

Nice`s old quarter is the perfect place for shopping amongst the town`s boutiques and souvenir shops where you can pick up local Provencal crafts and gastronomic items. Visitors to Nice also flock to the Phoenix Parc Floral botanical garden with its bird and insect zoo and fascinating museum dedicated to Far Eastern art.

Anyone interested in local art must also visit the museum of Henri Matisse, whose paintings were inspired by the majesty of the town.

For the perfect snaps, Le chateau, a castle now in ruins, is a tranquil area accessible via steps from the Quai des Etats-Unis, and is the best vantage point from which to enjoy views over Nice and the surrounding sea and countryside.
Eating out in Nice is a delight with cafes and restaurants around every corner catering for all tastes. Not surprisingly, gastronomic influences have flooded in from neighbouring Italy, with pasta on every other menu. Delicious local Provencal dishes bring a taste of authentic local cuisine whilst ample fish and seafood restaurants serve up the catch of the day around the Cours de Saleya and along the seafront. There are ample opportunities for gourmet wining and dining at the town`s top restaurants and opulent boutique hotels. On the other hand you can of course avail yourself of fresh local market produce, making a short break in Nice as low-budget or as indulgent as you wish.
In spite of its reputation for extravagance, a weekend in Nice needn`t break the bank, with a range of budget hotels available from as little as 25 euros a night.  With flybe now offering services to the Cote d`Azur from 11 airports across the UK, the joie de vivre of this elegant town has never been more accessible.

For more info on Nice see the Nice Tourism Office website
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