Provence Living

Susana Iwase Hanson moved to the South of France in 2002 and has not stopped taking photos since. She founded the associated Facebook page on September 1st, 2012, when she found there was simply not enough information available about the area beyond the summer season.

The site sets out to cover the things that matter across the year: cuisine, local wines, sights, services, farmers’ markets, shopping, walks and places to stay.

Susana is an elected official in Cotignac, in charge of Communications and foreign resident relations under Mayor Jean Pierre Véran. Victoria Koning, a contributor with English heritage who was born in South Africa, also writes for the site.

• Cuisine & local wines
• Sights & walks
• Farmers’ markets
• Shopping & services
• Places to stay

Meet the team or read more about Provence Living.

Cotignac sits quietly in the heart of the Provence Verte, a village of pale stone houses tucked against a rocky cliff, where the sound of water running through the old fountains is never far away. Life here moves at the pace of the seasons, and the surrounding hills shift from the soft green of spring to the deep, dusty gold of late summer. Visitors often arrive expecting a postcard and find something warmer instead: a working village where people greet one another by name and where the market, the café terrace and the evening walk all belong to the same unhurried rhythm.

The villages around Cotignac each carry their own character, and a short drive in almost any direction leads somewhere worth lingering. Some are perched high on ridges with long views across the valley, others gather around a shaded square or a modest church tower. Moustiers, with its dramatic setting and its long tradition of fine ceramics, is a favourite for a day out, while smaller hamlets reward those who take the slower roads. The pleasure is in the wandering rather than the itinerary, in stopping where the light looks good and staying a little longer than planned.

Food is one of the great pleasures of living in this part of Provence, and it is rarely complicated. Market stalls load their tables with tomatoes that taste of the sun, small purple artichokes, olives, fresh herbs and whatever the season offers. Local wine, including the pale rosé that seems made for warm evenings, is poured generously at long tables shared with friends. Lunches stretch into afternoons, a simple sauce or a plate of grilled vegetables can be the whole meal, and dessert is often nothing more than fruit and a little conversation.

Walking is the best way to understand the landscape, and there are gentle circuits as well as more demanding routes through the hills. Paths lead past old stone walls, olive groves, lavender fields that turn purple in early summer and quiet stretches of woodland. Some walks follow water, ending at a waterfall or a shaded pool where it is easy to sit and cool off. Others climb to viewpoints that open suddenly onto the whole valley. Good shoes, a hat and a bottle of water are all most people need, along with the willingness to take a wrong turn.

The local calendar turns around markets, festivals and the small celebrations that mark the year. Summer brings music, outdoor concerts and long evenings when the village stays awake well after dark, while autumn settles into quieter pleasures and winter brings its own traditions, including the decorations and gatherings of December. Many events are modest in scale but generous in spirit, organised by people who simply want to share something with their neighbours. Visitors are welcomed warmly, and a little curiosity about what is happening that week usually leads somewhere interesting.

Provence Living began as a way of sharing practical information and everyday observations with others who were curious about the region. Founded by Susana Iwase Hanson, who moved to Provence in 2002, it has grown into an anglophone resource for both visitors and residents, gathering notes on local life, cuisine, walks and the small details that make daily living easier. The accompanying Facebook page has been running since 2012, a place where people exchange tips, photographs and news. It remains, at heart, a conversation between people who love this corner of southern France.

What draws people back to Cotignac and its neighbouring villages is difficult to name precisely, but it has something to do with quality of life and the sense of time being allowed to pass without hurry. Days are shaped by weather, by the market, by a walk or a long lunch on a terrace. There is beauty in the ordinary here, in the play of light on old stone, in the sound of cicadas, in the pleasure of a glass of wine shared at the end of an evening. It is a place to enjoy slowly, and to return to whenever the chance arises.