Ever since the nineteenth century Provence has fascinated its numerous visitors. The heart of Provence-the lower Rhone valley-offers an incomparable range of sites: Roman ruins, winding Renaissance hill towns, and labyrinthine grottoes dominated by lofty peaks. Yet the gardens of Provence have remained as secret as the region itself is celebrated. Gardens in Provence takes its readers on a fascinating private tour of some of the loveliest hidden treasures in the south of France. Author Louisa Jones spent more than five years visiting nearly two hundred gardens and her lively and informative text marries history and horticulture, conveying all the charm of the region. With its extensive plant list and visitor's guide, this book is an unending source of inspiration for garden lovers. Spectacular photographs by Vincent Motte capture all the color, beauty, and magic of this patch of heaven on earth.

From the "bastides " of Provence to the affluent gardens along the Riviera, this book unfolds an entirely new vista of garden designs, images, and experiences. The over 500 illustrations, including 375 in full color, depict a rich and fascinating area of France where gardens have been at the center of social life for centuries.These are contrasting types of gardens - the provencal "bastides " dating from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries retain the geometrical character of Renaissance gardens, while the garden culture of the coastal enclaves softens lines and forms with recollections of romantic Italy and Victorian England, and exploits the possibilities of luxuriant trees and shrubs. Yet these opposite types are united by their various responses to the challenges of a shared cluster of microclimates.Sections of the book that discuss the social, economic, and climatic conditions of the area are followed by detailed and illustrated entries on 50 individual gardens. Each is described along with its history, and both plants and features such as fountains, statuary, and pergolas are itemized. A plan of each garden, accompanied by numerous views, makes this section of fundamental importance to the history of French gardens and - since many late nineteenth and early twentieth century gardens on the Riviera were created by international designers like Ferdinand Bac and Harold Peto - to the literature of modern garden history.Michel Racine is an architect for the Ministry of Housing. He and his coauthors Ernest Boursier-Mougenot and Francoise Binet are founding members of the Association for the Art of Landscapes and Gardens.

Glamor and indolence of life in the South of France as seen through Wharton's gaze.

Get inspired and plan your next trip with Fodor’s ebook travel guide to Provence & the French Riviera (including the Alpilles, Arles, Marseille, and the Central Coast, with highlights in between). Intelligent Planning: Discover all of the essential, up-to-date travel insights you expect in a Fodor’s guide, including Fodor’s Choice dining and lodging, top experiences and attractions, and detailed planning advice. Easy Navigation for E-Readers: Whether you’re reading this ebook from start to finish or jumping from chapter to chapter as you develop your itinerary, Fodor’s makes it easy to find the information you need with a single touch. In addition to a traditional main table of contents for the ebook, each chapter opens with its own table of contents, making it easy to browse. Full-Color Photos and Maps: It’s hard not to fall in love with Provence & the French Riviera as you flip through a vivid full-color photo album. Explore the layout of city centers and popular neighborhoods with easy-to-read full-color maps. Plus get an overview of French geography with the convenient atlas at the end of the ebook. What’s Covered? Get to Know Provence & the French Riviera: Famed for its Lavender Route, the honey-gold hill towns of the Luberon, and vibrant cities like Aix and Marseilles, Provence was dazzlingly abstracted in geometric daubs of paint by van Gogh and Cézanne. Still haunted by the genius of van Gogh, Arles remains fiercely Provençal and is famed for its folklore events. The spiky Alpilles mountains guard treasures like les Bauz-de-Provence: be bewitched by its ville morte (dead town) and luxurious l’Oustau de la Baumanière inn. Avignon and the Vaucluse are the heart of Provençal delights. Presided over by its medieval Palais des Papes, Avignon is an ideal gateway for exploring the nearby Roman ruins of Orange. About 10 miles east of Avignon is the Sorgue Valley, where everybody goes “flea”-ing in the famous antiques market at l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. For one day, join all those fashionable folk for whom café squatting, people watching, and boutique shopping are a way of life in Aix-en-Provence (one of France’s 10 richest towns). Enjoy the elegant 18th-century streets, then track the spirit of Cézanne at his famous studio and nearby Mont Ste-Victoire. Head south to become a Calanques castaway before diving into Marseille, one of France’s most vibrant and colorful cities. The French Riviera can supply the visitor with everything his heart desires—and his purse can stand. Home to sophisticated resorts beloved by billionaires, remote hill villages colonized by artists, Mediterranean beaches, and magnificent views, the Côte d’Azur stretches from Marseille to Menton. Thrust out like two gigantic arms, divided by the Valley of the Var at Nice, the Alpes-Maritime peaks protect the length of that favored coast from St-Tropez to the Italian frontier. Note: This ebook edition is adapted from Fodor's Provence & the French Riviera, 9th Edition but differs in some content. Additionally, the ebook edition includes photographs and maps that will appear on black-and-white devices but are optimized for devices that support full-color images.

Newly updated edition of the first book in French and English devoted to Nicole de Vésian and her work After a career as a designer working for the great design houses, especially Hermès, Nicole de Vésian (1916-1996) moved to Provence and created her first garden. Her green and grey tapestry-gardens soon inspired gardeners and landscapers around the world. Today, few gardens have been imitated as readily as those of Nicole de Vésian, because, writes Louisa Jones, 'she has a feeling for space like musicians have a feeling for music.' Her finest work was La Louve, her own garden in Bonnieux, a hilltop village in the Luberon area of Provence. On the narrow terraces around her Bonnieux home, Nicole de Vésian created her own very personal garden in a minimal but far from austere style, composed mainly of heath-land plants (varieties of thyme, lavender, rosemary, rockrose and box tree), in which she pruned all her plants to cushion shapes of varying, yet superbly proportioned sizes. Nicole de Vésian advises us to 'learn to listen to the soil.' Her plant sculptures are always somehow a reference to the wild hills of the surrounding countryside, reflecting an age-old Mediterranean landscape mindset, with a distinctly modern twist. The work is also a tribute to Nicole de Vésian and her life. Her close friend, Louisa Jones, shares her own thoughts on the work of this atypical creator, accompanied by accounts from her friends and pupils: Christian Lacroix, the nursery owner Jean-Marie Rey, the landscape artists Arnaud Maurières, Éric Ossart and Marc Nucera, as well as the garden historians Roy Strong and John Brookes.

The terraced hillsides, rocky capes, and secluded coves of the French Riviera provide some of the world's most spectacular garden settings, and its delightful climate has drawn legendary figures in the arts, literature, and international society since the eighteenth century. In this beautifully designed volume, Louisa Jones turns her gardening and literary talents to the magnificent gardens of the French Riviera, some beloved by visitors for over a century, but most private and hitherto unphotographed. The author's love of plants and gardening really shines through in the text that weaves history, charming anecdotes, and a detailed description of the gardens and plants featured, from the Rothschild villa to the rustic vigor of a well-tended olive grove. Abundantly illustrated with stunning photographs by Vincent Motte, and complete with a list of gardens to visit as well as a buyer's guide to the best nurseries and plant suppliers in the region, Gardens of the French Riviera is a marvelous gift for any garden lover planning to visit the South of France.

Whether you want to explore the charming villages of Provence, mingle with the rich and famous in Cannes, or lounge on the beach in Nice, the local Fodor’s travel experts in Provence and the French Riviera are here to help! Fodor’s Provence & the French Riviera guidebook is packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process and make the most of your time. This new edition has been fully-redesigned with an easy-to-read layout, fresh information, and beautiful color photos. Fodor’s Provence & the French Riviera includes: AN ILLUSTRATED ULTIMATE EXPERIENCES GUIDE to the top things to see and do MULTIPLE ITINERARIES to effectively organize your days and maximize your time MORE THAN 25 DETAILED MAPS to help you navigate confidently COLOR PHOTOS throughout to spark your wanderlust! UP-TO-DATE and HONEST RECOMMENDATIONS for the best sights, restaurants, hotels, nightlife, shopping, performing arts, activities, and more PHOTO-FILLED “BEST OF” FEATURES on “What to Eat and Drink in Provence and the French Riviera,” “The Best Villages in Provence,” and “The Best Beaches in the French Riviera” TRIP-PLANNING TOOLS AND PRACTICAL TIPS including when to go, getting around, beating the crowds, and saving time and money SPECIAL FEATURES on “The Lavender Route,” “Provence Wine,” and “Famous Provence Artists” HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL INSIGHTS providing rich context on the local people, politics, art, architecture, cuisine, geography and more LOCAL WRITERS to help you find the under-the-radar gems FRENCH LANGUAGE PRIMER with useful words and essential phrases COVERS: Arles, the Camargue, Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, Marseilles, St-Tropez, Cannes, Nice, Antibes, St-Paul-de-Vence, Monaco, and more Planning on visiting the rest of France? Check out Fodor’s Essential France and Fodor’s Paris. ABOUT FODOR'S AUTHORS: Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by local experts. Fodor’s has been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for over 80 years. For more travel inspiration, you can sign up for our travel newsletter at fodors.com/newsletter/signup, or follow us @FodorsTravel on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We invite you to join our friendly community of travel experts at fodors.com/community to ask any other questions and share your experience with us! *Important note for digital editions: The digital edition of this guide does not contain all the images or text included in the physical edition.