Provence, France
Lavender is the reason most people come, and it has a narrow window: roughly late June to early August, and the fields are cut as soon as they are ready. Arrive in September and you get stubble and a lot of bees. Provence in the rest of the year is olive groves, stone villages and very good markets. Fields of olive groves with their ancient branches twisting towards the sun parallel vineyards yield velvety reds and crisp rosés. The villages are stone, built into hillsides, and most have one bakery whose smell reaches the end of the street. Markets full with plump tomatoes, aromatic herbs, and rounds of creamy chevre, representing the region’s devotion to gastronomic pleasures. Sun sets over the Luberon (the French pre alps) in Provence, are a sight to be held, casting a golden glow on fields of sunflowers.
When visiting Provence, one can’t help but feel that it is more than a destination, it’s a sensory experience on every level, which is why renowned artists like Vincent van Gogh spent a significant period of his life creating art in Provence. Van Gogh spent his time mostly in the town of Arles. It was during his time in Provence that he produced some of his most respected works, including “Sunflowers” and “Starry Night Over the Rhône”. The artful colors and intense light of the region greatly influenced his art. Today, you can visit the places in Provence that inspired the Van Gogh masterpieces.