winegrower

3.7 acres of vineyards are part of this wonderful mas, for the ones looking for a new hobby…

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oliviers

 

“While France produces the tiniest amount of oil in the world (less than 2 percent) most of it today is of very high quality. So high that the nation now has five regions that are distinguished with the strict appellation d’origine contrôlée label.” [via]

The Provence visitor should definitely visit one of the 220 olive mills and go for an oil tasting, for example in “La Fare Les Oliviers” next to Aix-en-Provence.

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mazet saint pierre

I (finally!) found a mazet for sale! And this is a particularly good one, with views on the sea, in a protected area (no construction or house expensions allowed)

Of course the house is small, 861 SqF, but the garden, the whole atmosphere, this part of the french mediterranean coast (next to six fours) are strongly balancing these constraints…

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barrême

Next to the national park of the gorges du verdon, this estate includes a very big ground of 180 acres, including woods and crossed by a river. The list of fruit trees is impressive : cherry, pear, peach, fig, prune, nut, walnut, quince…

The house is not really described, but still certainly worth a look.

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pleasures for the palate

One’s discovery of a french region like Provence would not be complete without the gastronomic aspect.

Just to tease you a bit, read hereafter the gorgeous new menu of the Mas Candille especially the “Spoils of the Land” chapter…

• Country-style pigeon pie with confit baby onions, jus de presse with foie gras
• Fillet of Sisteron lamb in walnut crumb crust, larded with asparagus, Vin Jaune emulsion
• Roast rib steak for two, caramelised baby leeks, Provencal tartiflette, mustard reduction with tarragon
• Calves’ sweetbreads in lemon grass brochette, piquillo pepper basquaise with currants
• Boneless breast and stuffed drumstick of Bresse poultry, baby vegetable casserole, champagne-herb infusion

another good reason to visit the website is the page “The Chef’s recipe”, to bring mediterranean flair home…

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hamlet

Calm guaranteed for this hamlet composed of three houses next to the village of bevons. Ideal for solitary retreats with panorama…

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maps

a new page was added => link above - next to the home and about sections - with maps of the region. Relevant regional maps will be added peu à peu.

roche

I just realised I have not introduced you to any mas accommodation yet: there are so many of them around, its a bit difficult to make a choice.

I picked the Mas de la Roche because of its beautiful spa, dug in the rock.

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boutis

The Provence quilts tend to be made of two large pieces of whole cloth, either cotton or silk, that are sewn together with some kind of filling element, like batting or cording, sandwiched between them.

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Today, antique boutis are extremely rare and expensive. Searching the web, I found a great artist, called Pier Laniece, using this technique and creating pieces with her own new designs. Her works can be found here.

architecture

The mas is almost always oriented south, in order to offer protection from the mistral.  Windows are narrow, there are only few or no ones on the north side, to offer protection from the heat in the summer and from the cold winters.

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