Art attack
Art draws lots of tourists to the
region, as this area is at the heart of
French impressionism. In Arles, you
can have a meal at the legendary
Café Van Gogh, the café Van Gogh
painted in his Café Terrace at Night.
And for a little family treasure hunt,
just follow the easels around the town
of Van Gogh’s masterpieces placed
in the spots where he painted them.
In Aix-en-Provence, you can visit
Cézanne’s painting studio. You will
see the objects he depicted in his still
lives and get a feel for how he lived. If
you take a stroll around the streets of
Aix, you will discover the areas and
quarters where Cezanne lived.
For an extra-sensory art
experience, a huge hit with the kids
is the Carrières de Lumières, near
the picturesque village of Baux-de-
Provence. Oversized art images are
projected on the walls of an old stone
quarry from floor to ceiling, and you
walk into the universe of painters
while listening to music of their time.
For my children, this was better than
any museum because it was, as my
daughter loves to describe it… just
“ginormous”!
Do as the Romans do…
The Roman influence is ever-
present in Provence. I don’t think
my children were quite aware of this
historical dimension before we visited
the Pont du Gard. “You mean this
bridge is more than 2,000 years old?
No way!” They were amazed to be
able to walk on this exceptionally well
kept Roman aqueduct and to be able
to jump from the first level into the
river down below. What a buzz that
was! It is easy to make a day of this
trip with a picnic of local produce
and bread under a shady tree, then
canoeing down the river, followed by
a refreshing swim in the water.
We visited the Roman Theatre
of Orange, where operas are held
during the Chorégies festival every
summer. This Roman architectural
jewel gave life to history for my
children. They remembered and
imagined Roman emperors, slaves
and gladiators fighting. We also
spent a full day in the picturesque
little town of Vaison-la-Romaine,
in northern Provence. Ruins of a
Roman town have been unearthed,
and it is intriguing for children to
walk in the steps of Roman people
from all spheres of society. My
children could not help re-enacting
scenes of imaginary history with oak
branches tucked in their baseball
