The Clooneys now live on a sprawling farm in Provence, where the actor has spoken openly about rejecting celebrity lifestyle in favor of a more private one for the sake of his children. I was worried about raising our kids in LA, in the culture of Hollywood. I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life.
I'm sending you the newsletter from the south of France, I'm exploring Grasse, the perfume capital, tomorrow I'm off to the Cote d'Azur - seeking out hidden gems and picturesque villages, and next week I'll head to Vaucluse in Provence to find out what's new in Avignon, the city of the Popes, visit vineyards and enjoy up the fabulous colours of Fall. Come with me via Instagram where I'll post photos and videos as I go.
Villeneuve lez Avignon has a long and rich history. Legend has it that in the 1 st Century AD, Saint Martha, the Patron Saint of Avignon "resurrected" a shepherd from the town after he drowned in the Rhone (resurrections were rather more frequent in those days). Some 400 years later, another Saint settled in Villeneuve as the locals call it, a Visigoth princess-hermit who devoted her life to God on Puy Andaon, the hill that dominates Villeneuve.
When you picture Provence, you probably imagine rolling hills and a verdant, vineyard-tracked countryside. But the glamorous beach spots of Côte d'Azur, peppered with striped parasols, are also part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region.