THE POETRY OF PROVENCE

Join me and my dear friend anthropologist, chef and Chevalier de Vin, Mark Haskell of Friends and Foods International. We will eat, breathe and drink the poetry that is Provence; the harmonizing flavors of succulent, tree-ripened figs, blooming fields of lavender, local chèvre goat cheeses and olive oil from orchards the Romans planted.

This part of southern France between the Rhone River and Italy has always carried a separate spirit and light than the rest of the continent. We are proposing mid-September as it is the height of the vendange (wine harvest) in the Côtes du Rhône, a wonderful time to be there as it is literally the life blood of the region. The program consists of field visits throughout the region, cooking and wine tasting, discussions with local experts and the chance to met Provençal people who make the term joi de vivre so applicable to this area.

Provence has produced some of the world's greatest poets and writers. The most famous Provençal poet was Nobel Prize winner Frederic Mistral, (1830-1914) who wrote in Provençal, or Occitan instead of French, mostly in Arles, Marseille and the Bouche de Rhone. Petrarch's Ascent of Mont Ventoux (the Giant of Provence) was written in 1336.

Chaucer was also in the Vaucluse in Carpentras and Avignon around the same time as the English ambassador to the Papal court and is speculated to have met both Petrarch, who was ambassador to France from Milan, and Boccaccio. He wrote the Decameron Tales in 1350 during the plagues.

As Mark has said, the most intriguing poets, artists and musicians were the troubadours and The Art of Courtly Love. They were singers, composers and performers that enjoyed a remarkable status. They could cross borders, sing political and love songs, court noble women, even married ones, and courtly love was allowed as an emotional and mental non-physical love that was allowed in poetry and song. The troubadours were all around the Mediterranean, and were of course finally crushed by the Catholic Church around 1350.

 

Our digs

THE POETRY OF PROVENCE Proposed Itinerary:

$2950. US
Cost includes: accommodations, all food/wine, transportation (with insured drivers), cancellation insurance, restaurants, entrance fees, instruction and guides. Does not include air fare.

Accommodations: All rooms have single bathrooms. We will stay at a beautifully restored Provencal Inn filled with antiques and surrounded by gardens and vineyards.

Duration: 7 days with arrival and departure days, meet arrival/departures at Avignon train station with transportation.

Scheduled for mid- September, 2011. Deadline for registration is July 15, 2011.

Trip Concept: Provence is a crossroads for Mediterranean modern and ancient traditions where northern and southern Europe meet. We will organize the trip in three parts in respect to Provence's geography, foothills to the Alpes and mountains, the Mediterranean coast, and Avignon and the surrounding Côtes du Rhône vineyard country and plains, and to celebrate its many ages of writing and the arts, Roman through the modern eras.

Depart for Avignon TGV Trainstaion via Paris (Charles de Gualle Airport).

Day 1 - Arrive Avignon, pick-up, transfer to l'Ecole Buissionniere, in Buisson, France in the Côtes du Rhône, settle in, met hosts, lunch at l'Ecole. Afternoon visit to Vaison-la-Romaine with it's the Roman ruins, the medieval upper town and the newer central town. Aperitif at Cafe du Centre in nearby Villedieu. Dinner at l'Ecole.

Day 2 - Morning visit to the weekly antiques and farm market of l'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, the canal town near the Fontaine de Vaucluse and the Luberon Valley. The canals were used to power the silk and textile mills in the past two centuries. L'Isle is now one of Europe's finest art, antique and home textile design centers. Following lunch in L'Isle, we will travel back through the Luberon valley. These are areas that all visitors modern and ancient visited. Petrarch wrote of the Fontaine and his first views of Mt. Ventoux.

Day 3 - Morning visit to the Enclave du Pape, a region ceded to the Avignon Popes for it's fine vineyards and strategic position. First, the Chateau du Grignan, with spectacular views and architecture, and subject of the Letters of Madame Sevigne from the Court of Louis XIV. Followed by a visit to Richerenches, Commanderie of the Knights Templers and the truffle capitol of Provence. Restaurant lunch in Mondragon, followed by a visit to the museum home and experimental garden of Jean Henri Fabre, the famed naturalist (subject to approval and weather).

Day 4 - Early morning ascent to summit of Ventoux to watch sunrise over the Alps. Day tour of wineries and beautiful country towns the Côtes du Rhône of the Vaucluse: Le Barroux, Beaumes-de-Venise, Gigondas, Sablet, Rasteau, Carrianne, Seguret, and enjoy walks among the Dentelles (³Lace² monolith cliffs) and Mont Ventoux, the Giant of Provence and a subject of the poets Petrarch and Mistral. Throughout the day we will visit (and taste) superior private and cooperative wineries and enjoy the famous views of these hill towns.

Day 5 - Visit to the city of Avignon, the Papal Palaces, the gardens and the views of the Rhone River and neighboring departments. Restaurant lunch in Avignon and an afternoon visit to Ville Nueve les Avignon across the River and a visit to the great Charterhouse of the French (now a national study center for culture) and its accompanying fortifications. Followed by a brief visit to the Papal castle site at Chateaunuef-du-Pape.

Day 6 - Morning at the Nyons town market (in continuous operation for 250 years), and visit Nyon's famous olive oil mills and lavender distilleries. Cooking class with Nyon's products and lunch at l'Ecole. Afternoon visit to the French National Universite du Vin (wine) in nearby Suze-la-Rousse, housed in a beautiful 12th century chateau of the Dukes of Adhuerre. Restaurant dinner in Entrechaux.

Day 7 - To be arranged, guest choice, see choices below. I think it would be lovely to wind things up with a reading for participants to share what they've been inspired to write during their Provencal sojourn.

Afternoon departure from Avignon.

 

Friends & Food International, Inc. is a culinary travel and cooking company specializing in food and cultural programs in Tuscany, France and Asia. The travel programs consist of small groups of six to twelve people, which stay at historic estates. The first programs began in Tuscany in 1996, following with the Provencal program in 1998 (where the Haskell family has lived for 25 years).

Mark Haskell, Founder of Friends & Food International is an international development consultant and lives in Washington, D.C., and the Vaucluse region of France. He is also a working professional chef and attended the University of Siena as a student in 1977 and 1978. Mr. Haskell has taught New American, Tuscan, Provencal, and Low-Country cooking classes in Washington, DC, and other locations in the United States and Europe. In addition, he is a chef and creative consultant. Mr. Haskell has cooked in restaurants in the USA, France, Italy, Nepal and South America. He is a native of Beaufort, SC, and has a strong affection for southern cooking and gardening traditions.

Mr. Haskell is trained in anthropology and demography, and has worked in Italy, France, Colombia, India and Nepal. He is an Antioch College graduate and has studied at the University of Siena (Tuscany) and at the national universities of Nepal (Tribuhvan University), and Colombia (Los Andes University). Following his university career, Mr. Haskell worked at the United Nations and for international development and disaster relief agencies in New York and Washington. Mr. Haskell was knighted in 2007 in the Côtes du Rhône, France to the Confrerie des Vins de Saint Vincent, established in 1600.

Heather Haley, a Vancouver poet, author, musician and media artist, pushes boundaries by creatively integrating disciplines, genres and media. Her work has been published in numerous journals, anthologies and collections Sideways (Anvil Press), and Three Blocks West of Wonderland (Ekstasis Editions). She was an editor for the LA Weekly, publisher of Rattler and the Edgewise Cafe, one of Canada's first electronic literary magazines. Architect of the Edgewise ElectroLit Centre, the Vancouver Videopoem Festival and Visible Verse at Pacific Cinémathèque, her own works have been official selections at dozens of international film festivals. Haley has gained renown as an engaging performer, sharing her poetry and music with audiences around the world. Most recently she toured eastern Canada and the U.S. in support of her critically acclaimed AURAL Heather CD of spoken word songs, Princess Nut.

 

The group is small, so register to save your place for this very special week of living and learning in Provence. This is our "proposed" agenda. Our travel seminars are small, personalized and, above all, flexible so they can meet your wishes for an enlightening and enjoyable trip. If after reading and hearing about the area, you want to visit some other fascinating sites, that can be arranged. For registration and more information, please email Heather at hshaley@emspace.com

 

Learn about Provence Literature.

Visit the Friends and Food International website.

 

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