La lumière en Provence/ the light in Provence

or why we traveled to Provence.  Ever since I watched the movie Jean de Florette back in school, followed by a few viewings of its sequel, Manon des sources, with Jack, we've always wanted to head to that country to witness first hand the savage beauty of the land. Provence, in the splendor of the bright sunlight, its sometimes barren rocky landscape, with tall cypresses, oak lined streets and gnarled olive trees didn't disappoint me.

We stayed at an idyllic, rustic olive farm in Maussane les Alpilles from Oct 1 to 4.  The olive mill and residences were off the grid; Google map only showed the turnoff leading to the farm.  The B&B was about to shut in a few days as the proprietor and her crew were preparing to begin the olive harvest.  The first night Jack and I were at Mas du Boutonnet, we felt we were missing something.  Yes!  Noise! Stark silence reigned over the place.   Our hostess apologetically told us we should be aware that sometimes her two Labs would bark, an indication the wild boars were at bay.  We were dead tired we couldn't hear the dogs.  In fact, I was certain I couldn't even hear a cricket!

See Jack, Miriiam's acting cool and I ain't gonna bother her.  I just want to be in the photo.

Olive farm stretches at the far end of the oaks

We drove southeast of Maussane les Alpilles the next morning and rejoiced spending Sunday at the various markets(food/books/flea) which to our delight sprung up in the sprawling town of Aix-en-Provence. Be aware that finding parking space is a total nightmare here.  It's best to leave your car at the train station.

Food market at Place Richelme.  It usually ends at 1p.m.

Cheese and cuts

Flea market at the town's ring road

Our curiosity made us detour to Isle sur la Sorgue on the way to Luberon country.  An antique market was in full swing when we arrived at the rather touristy town bordered by canals.

One of the pretty canals

We then rushed to Gordes, Bonnieux and Apt to catch these age old towns bathed in dazzling sunlight before sunset.

Gordes, a town nestling on a bed of rocks.  There's some Greek influences to it.

Gordes

Bonnieux

Bonnieux from afar

On Monday, we visited Arles and its Roman ruins,

Theatre antique where only 2 columns have stood the test of time

Part of Les Arenes which has undergone major restoration

Les Arenes, now used to stage bullfights

St Etienne-du-Gres for a short stop at Les Olivades Factory Story(very Provencale fabrics by the yard, table linens, shirts and blouses) on Chemin des Indienneurs,

 Les Baux for a striking view over Val d'Enfer

and St. Remy to catch the famed ruins of Glanum.   Sadly, we missed the last allowed entrance party and had to console ourselves walking among the publicly-available ruins.

Part of the remaining mausoleum

Archway

Now, I have to make a personal opinion on the light in Provence.  It's fantastic!   It has always been so Van Gogh went crazy when he came to this region that he painted in circles, reflecting the state of his mind.  Well, that's just my 5 centimes worth of opinion!

On the Road with Jack ...Pinerolo, Italy

First of all, I must confess I didn't see much of Pinerolo.  Jack and I arrived in the town as the sun was setting.  We trusted our rental car satellite navigation unit to show us the way, and I'd memorized all the landmarks I saw on Google map and printed the directions leading to Relais Barrage.

View from our hotel room

The hotel is at the edge of Pinerolo.  Thankfully, we made our way there without a hitch.  The hotel is a favorite of the business crowd and from other reviews, has an excellent ristorante.  We however decided on the corner pizzeria as we saw local families heading there.

Corner pizzeria

It was a good decision as the pizzas were great and nicely priced.  Friday night is definitely a busy time at the pizzeria.  While dining, we noticed the tables were all taken by 8:00 but since the place is managed by the hotel, service was fast.

Why did we choose Pinerolo?  First, my better half, an avid Tour de France fan, told me the riders went through the town just this summer.  He wanted to check out the route leading up to Sestriere.  Second, I insisted we break the journey somewhere on the lengthy drive between Malpensa to Provence.  Pinerolo seemed like a good choice to me.  In addition, we really had a full schedule the day we arrived in Italy.  It was a drive to the Fratelli Rossetti outlet in Parabiago first thing Friday morning(Jack and I are crazy for comfy shoes), then Missoni in Sumirago(we're crazy for crazy patterns too).

We headed to Castagneto, Via Vignola 14, Montrigiasco di Arona for a great, leisurely Italian lunch(we're crazy for casarecce dishes).  Truffle is in season late September through early November.  Hence we couldn't resist having it the traditional way: a simple fare of fried eggs with shaven truffle and some polenta.

Castagneto, named after the many chestnut trees around the area

Pasta all'arrabbiata

Being the crazy shoppers we are, we next hit The Place Outlet on Via Trossi, just outside the town of Sandigliano.

Our satnav unit was set to Via Cesare Battisti instead of Via Trossi.

Sign seen from Via Trossi

That did the trick because the outlet's website doesn't give any number and Via Trossi is pretty long!  And finally, off we went to Pinerolo.

Me in front of Relais Barrage the next morning.  We were blessed with an Indian summer while on vacation in France and Italy Sept 30-Oct 9.