On a plateau rolling as the sea, everything disappears in the troughs of waves. You barely have time to turn round:farm, village and tree sink and other things emerge. Just beyond the birch trees, the road climbs up and, at the end of an avenue of trees, a blue mountain appears ...

 In his highly evocative and nostalgic Tour de Provence,Julian More spends his days consuming the sights,tastes and smells of the Provencal countryside so seductively portrayed in countless tales by Jean Giono.It is the chronicle of an enchanting journey undertakenat the start of a blissfully sunny spring.

 Travelling by traffic-free departmentales (D roads) from his home in north-western Provence to Nice and back via the Alps and Dr6me Provencale, Julian takes a scenic circular route. His carefully chosen itinerary covers six areas each with its own distinct character,different terrain, culture, wine and gastronomic specialities. The tour can be experienced as a whole or simply dipped into. Every chapter includes helpful recommendations for where to stay along the way, _restaurants, shops, tourist attractions, detours to inspiring villages and vistas that otherwise might easily be missed.

 In his voyage of discovery and rediscovery Julian drives through a mimosa forest where he finds an astonishingly unspoiled village only a few miles inland from the fleshpots of Cannes. He rediscovers dramatic gorges like Verdon and wide open spaces such as Montagne de Lure, and also finds 'secret places to hike and bike with no one around but a chirring cricket and few bell tinkling goats'.

  Provence reinvents itself as unpredictably as the wine's new year and with intoxicating photographs taken by John Miller, this book captures the essential spirit of this most justly celebrated region of la belle France.

1 My Provence

2 Pope's Paradise: Vaucluse

3 Land of Light: Bouches-du-Rhone

4 Green Hills, Blue Bays: Vat

5 High Spots: Alpes-Maritimes

6 Panoramas without People: Alpes de Haute-Provence

7 The Wild Side: Drome Provencale

8 Home Stretch: Enclave des Papes

Itinerary and Tourist Offices

Suggested Reading

Index