Provence is one of the most photographed regions in France. From the famous lavender fields to the beautiful pastel villages, and turquoise Mediterranean Sea to vineyards and olive groves. Behind all the photographs you see on Instagram, is a quieter, richer, and intimate Provence. It’s a region that has been shaped by tradition, culture, and community that you cannot experience on social media. If you are looking for an authentic Provencal experience, then continue reading.
Wake Up in a Village
Provence has no shortage of well-known sights, but some Provencal villages offer you an authentic morning experience. A much slower pace of life. Before any tourists arrive with their cameras, you can join the locals buying warm, freshly-made baguettes, or enjoy a relaxed coffee at one of the cafés. When you wake up and enjoy your morning drink in a small village, you experience an authentic local experience that is filled with clicking cups and conversations.
Here you will experience local farmers unloading their produce, neighbours chatting, and artisans setting up their stalls, filled with hand-made items, including lavender-infused honey, goat’s cheeses, and nougats. It’s about community, not staging the perfect picture.
Seasonal Markets
In addition to L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, a often photographed large market, Provence has a host of small weekly markets in surrounding villages. Bonnieux offers a Friday market, while you will find a seasonal market in Apt on Saturdays, for example. These smaller markets offer an authentic local experience as you chat with the producers and artisans, learning how they make their goat’s cheese, or how they harvest their olives.
These markets are vibrant, bustling, fragrant, and practical. They are anything by perfect, which is why you don’t often see them on Instagram. Here you can find unique treats, such as Banon cheese wrapped in chestnut leaves or fougasse. You can find a peaceful picnic shot to enjoy your purchases.
Family Truffle Hunts
Truffle hunts in Provence are growing in popularity, but the memorable ones are the family-run truffle hunts that you find in small villages. They are not tourist performance, but traditional seasonal rituals that is passed down through the generations. You have the opportunity to walk through the forest with a local farmer and his truffle dog. You can learn how they know the land, the best areas to find precious black truffles, known as “black diamonds.”
Often the farmer will invite you to the family kitchen after the hunt for a simple meal that includes some shavings from the truffles you hunted for in the morning. This type of unique Provencal experience cannot be captured on a camera.
Family-Owned Olive Mills
There are plenty of large olive oil estates in Provence, but visiting one of the tiny family-owned mills is a true authentic local experience. These families use age-old techniques, pressing early-season green olives.
They share stories, not picture-perfect moments. You will hear how their harvests have been ruined by frost, what the perfect pressing temperature is, along with some local chatter that is exchanged as neighbours drop off their crates. These mills offer informal tastings that are a sensory experience you will remember for the rest of your life.
Cooking by the Fire
When you are in Provence in Autumn, you will notice many of the homes and restaurants cooking by the fire. Yes, there is no shortage of commercial cooking schools in the region, but the small, private chef-led cooking schools are the ones that will provide you with an authentic local experience in Provence.
Every dish has a story, often telling you the technique used and how its been passed down from grandmother to grandmother. You will hear local superstitions, along with season traditions. It’s a personal experience, not a performance. A chance to explore the local cuisine in the most authentic and private way possible.
Forgotten Villages
While Provence is well-documented on Instagram, you can make your way to some of the villages that seldom make their way onto the travel itineraries, such as Fontvieille, Mirabeau, Maillane, and Viens. These authentic Provencal villages have quiet streets, faded shutters, and rosemary-scented alleys. Here you find a calmer and simpler way of life, showcasing the authentic side of Provence.
Conclusion
In Provence, food is treated as a way of life. When you escape the Provence you see on Instagram, you have the opportunity to experience authentic local experiences. Provence is a rich, warm, and traditional region in southern France, where life isn’t curated, it’s lived. For an authentic local experience, you can contact Cooking Classes in Provence. We offer private chef-led and personal cooking classes in the comfort of your home kitchen, or one of our workshop kitchens. Experience authentic local Provencal life with one of our cooking classes today.
