From the excess of the Riviera to the wilderness of Camargue or the big ego of the historical cities, Provence is great from the highest mountain to the serene sea. But at the heart of it all you will find the Luberon - and that is a coup de coeur to last a lifetime.
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Best of Lavender Season: top 8 fields in Provence
Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque Yes, it’s my no.1 too. Topping all lavender tops and Provence guides, the iconic Senanque Abbey is a masterpiece set amidst heavenly lavender fields. Wander through the ancient stone walls, capturing postcard-perfect shots of the abbey framed by fragrant lavender blooms, but take your time offline and gadget-free. The symphony of colors and scents here brings you closer to God, literally. Bonnieux and the Luberon Valley The absolute sine qua non of the lavender season in Provence, The Luberon Regional Park is home to all the wonders: lavender fields, hilltop villages and sinuous country roads where you never cease to french kiss. Bonnieux is one seductive village perched on a…
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POSTCARDS: Driving on beautiful Amalfi Coast
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AMALFI COAST #SINEQUANON: THE THINGS YOU CANNOT LEAVE OUT
ONE: RAVELLO This will be a surprising no. 1 for most, as the usual day-trippers and ‘effective’ travel guides will skip it altogether. And that’s a good thing, because the crowds make it difficult enough to reach and enjoy in all its haughty splendour. Ravello is in fact not on the Amalfi Coast, but hanging uphill, just on top of Amalfi. It is spectacular, noble and expensive, and worth it. The narrow road leading to Ravello is cut in the rocky mountain like an initiation path and is called, quite evocatively, the Valley of the Dragon. Ravello is small, which adds to the feeling of exclusivity, especially off- season or…
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NORMANDY: #SINEQUANON: THE THINGS YOU CANNOT LEAVE OUT
ONE: MONT SAINT MICHEL The only possible number one. Although is closer and more intimately connected to Bretagne, it will be top-of-mind for any escape in Western France. I wrote more about “the wonder” here. TWO: THE ALABASTER COAST AND PAYS DE CAUX La Cote d’Albatre is the French counterpart of the famous white cliffs that are the picture-perfect signature of the English Channel coastline. It makes for a great roadtrip, with its towns and villages of quaint charm and the often striking beauty of the high falaises. Stop in Etretat, Yport, Fecamp, Veules-les-Roses, Dieppe. Etretat has the most beautiful cliffs, Fecamp is a jewel of a town where you…
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A story of tides: the secrets of Mont Saint Michel, revealed
Is it a castle or an island? Is that the desert or the sea? Is it Bretagne or Normandie? Each day, this castle becomes an island, then the sea withdraws to leave treacherous sands behind. Meanwhile, a whimsical little river draws the border between the two realms, making Mont St. Michel part of Normandy. The mountain has always been a place of awe; beautiful and inaccessible, it caused many to perish at the mercy of tides. And as it happens with so many places of awe and beauty, it has always been a site of worship. In the early days of Christianity, monks were using Mount Tomb – that was…
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A ROADTRIP THROUGH CHIANTI CLASSICO
Follow La Strada del Chianti and stop along the way to your heart’s desire. Etruscans were first here, then Romans drove their carts on these roads. A land of tremendous beauty and forever radiating serenity, the wine road witnessed the obsessive conflicts between Florence and Siena, undisturbed by battles and time. Looking at the map, the villages, vineyards and castles of Chianti Classico can be found around the SR222. One itinerary we love is this. We started from our beloved Monteriggioni and went up through Castellina in Chianti to Panzano and Greve in Chianti. Another one is right from Castellina towards Radda and Volpaia, then round direction Gaiole towards San…
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Beautiful is absolute, and so is PENICHE
“One more stop” he said. We were chasing daring lighthouses, pure beaches and wild coastline, as usual. It had been a very hot day in August, the kind of day that makes everything quiet and brings out the light in everything, white houses and white sands surrounded by a shimmering halo, people scarce and wrinkled by sun and dry winds. Coming down from Nazare along the coast, we had taken a scourging trip inland to see Fatima and Batalha, and were heading to Obidos for the night. Tired with heat and long drive, I was looking forward to the cool walls, green ivy and refreshing chatter of the Obidos fortress at night.…
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With love, from CHIANTI: 300 years of Chianti Classico
On Sept. 24, 1716, the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III de’ Medici officially delineated the borders of the Chianti wine region. Which basically makes him a personal favorite and a hero. Him and Barone Ricasoli, of course. Cosimo had quality control teams patrolling the vineyards in the area and made sure that no other wine outside this blessed realm could be called Chianti, ever again. A predecessor to what would become the modern Denominazione d’Origine Controllata (DOC) and DOCG wine labelling system, the Grand Duke’s act was the first of its kind in Europe. Genius. 300 years later, thehappyfew couldn’t have missed the celebrations. On September 24, 2016, there…
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From beautiful and secluded to wild and hard-to-get: Portugal’s best beaches
This is the treasure map for thehappyfew discovering the coastline. Save your pins! Costa de Prata (between Porto and Lisbon) Infinite white beaches for surfers and lovers of the immense blue, and secret coves that are hard to find and even harder to leave. Direction from Porto / Vila Nova de Gaia – Dunas Sao Jacinto – Nazare – Obidos – Baleal – Peniche, Praia da Mexilhoeira – Foz do Sizandro – Sao Juliao – Magoito, to Aguda, Adraga and down to Guincho. . ALGARVE: the Lagos – Sagres – Cabo Sao Vicente area. Probably the most beautiful beaches in the world, an incredible scenery created by the famous red…
