Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Travel Guide

Contents
1. Introduction 2. History 3. Cuisine 4. Places to Visit 4.1. Bouches-du-Rhône 4.2. Vaucluse 4.3. Hautes-Alpes 4.4. Alpes-de-Haute-Provence 4.5. Var 4.6. Alpes-Maritimes

Gourdon monastery, Alpes maritimes.

Introduction

The fabled lavender fields of Provence and the ritzy resorts of the French Riviera captivate the imagination like no other region in France. Van Gogh, Picasso, Renoir and countless other artists have been drawn to its unique light and the sheer beauty of its countryside.

But Provence is far more than expanses of purple lavender and yellow sunflower. In the east, the Gorges du Verdon are Europe's largest canyon, some immensive limestone cliffs, reaching up to 700 m in height, and interspersed by turquoise lakes. Further up in the Alps are the breathtakingly beautiful Mercantour and Écrins national parks, home to some of the richest fauna and flora in Europe. In the southwest, the Rhône delta forms a vast ecosystem of marshes and lagoons, the Camargue, home to Europe's largest colony of flamingoes, as well as wild white horses and herds of black bulls used for bullfighting in nearby Arles and Nîmes.

The modern region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (or PACA for short) was created from the old provinces of Provence, Dauphiné, Comtat Venaissin, and the County of Nice (which was only annexed to France in 1860). It is the third most populous and third richest French region after Île-de-France and Rhône-Alpes.

The region is traditionally Occitan-speaking, the main dialects being Provençal in the south and Vivaro-Alpine in the north. Nowadays there are only about 350,000 native speakers of Provençal, and Vivaro-Alpine is endangered, but the colourful Provençal accent of French-speaking locals remains strong and unmistakable.

Famous people from the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur include (chronologically): the prophet Nostradamus, the Nobel Prize writer Frédéric Mistral, the painter Paul Cézanne, the novelist Marcel Pagnol, the actor Fernandel, and the singer Mireille Mathieu.

History

The region now known as Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur boasts one of France's most ancient and diverse histories, with human habitation dating back several million years. Greek colonists from Phocaea established Marseille around 600 BCE and introduced viticulture to the area, whilst Celtic tribes had settled the region from approximately 900 BCE. The Romans conquered the area in the 1st century BCE, creating the province of Gallia Narbonensis with its capital at Narbonne, and later establishing Alpes Maritimae with its capital at Cemenelum (modern-day Nice) in 7 BCE. During the three-century Pax Romana, Emperor Augustus founded colonies for Roman veterans at strategic locations including Forum Julii (Fréjus), Arles, and Arausio (Orange), whilst building a triumphal monument at La Turbie to commemorate the final pacification of the Ligurian tribes in 8 BCE. The region flourished as what Pliny the Elder described as "more than a province, it was another Italy," with twenty-five Roman towns established throughout Provence.

Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in 476 CE, the region endured successive waves of barbarian invasions and changing rulerships that would define its medieval character. The Visigoths initially controlled the lands south of the Durance whilst the Burgundians ruled the north, followed by brief Ostrogoth dominance under Theodoric from 508. From 536, the Merovingian Franks governed the region from their distant northern capitals, leading to a period of decline marked by abandoned Roman infrastructure, plague epidemics, and raids by Arab pirates who devastated Marseille in 838. The region gained greater autonomy from the 9th century under three successive feudal dynasties of Counts of Provence - Catalan, Burgundian, and Angevin - who ruled until 1481. The 14th century marked a golden age when French popes established their seat in Avignon during the Great Schism, earning the city the title "City of Popes" and maintaining papal authority until the French Revolution. The Black Plague of 1348-1350 devastated the region, killing half of Arles' population and severely reducing the overall demographic.

The region's integration into France in 1481 heralded a new era of cultural and economic development that would eventually transform it into one of Europe's premier destinations. The 16th century brought the Wars of Religion, with most of Provence remaining staunchly Catholic except for the Protestant enclave of Orange, which wasn't incorporated into France until 1673. The French Revolution saw notable Provençal figures including the Comte de Mirabeau, the Marquis de Sade, and Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyès, who helped orchestrate Napoleon's rise to power. The 19th century proved transformative with the construction of railways connecting Paris to Marseille in 1848 and extending to Toulon and Nice by 1864, establishing the region as a fashionable winter resort for European royalty including Queen Victoria. The annexation of Nice and the County of Nice from Sardinia-Piedmont in 1860 completed the region's modern boundaries, whilst the Félibrige movement led by poet Frédéric Mistral sparked a revival of Provençal language and culture. The coastal area gained international recognition as the Côte d'Azur or French Riviera, and today the region stands as France's third most economically important administrative area.

Cuisine

The region has a very diverse gastronomy, and specialities vary a lot between traditional provinces. Dishes like ratatouille, bouillabaisse, soupe au pistou (presto soup) and pissaladière (a sort of pizza) are found in most of the PACA. Among famous sauces, we find tapenade, aïoli, and rouille.

• In the Alps, you will find gratin dauphinois, tourtons (ravioli), and pieds paquets (mutton offals stewed in white wine and tomato sauce).
• Around Avignon, daube avignonnaise (lamb stew with white wine), daube comtadine (same with olives), crespeou (pie of omelette, vegetables and herbs), bohémienne (ratatouille of aubergines and tomatoes in olive oil), papeton d'aubergine (a sort of caviar d'aubergines), and alose à l'étouffée (Avignon-style shad). The area is also renowned for its melon of Cavaillon, one of Europe's most famous canteloupes, originally imported by the Popes of Avignon from Italy in the 14th century.
• In Provence itself, anchoïade ('southern French fondue' with anchovy, capers and olive oil), moules à la provençale, daube provençale (beef and vegetable stew braised in wine), gibassier (a galette made with fruited olive oil), and gardianne de taureau (Camargue bull meat cooked in red wine).
• Specialities of Nice include salade niçoise, daube niçoise (same with mushrooms), pan bagnat (Nice-style sandwich), and socca (crêpe of chickpea flour originally from Genoa).