What is Provence Living About?
An anglophone information blog for visitors and residents of Cotignac and the surrounding villages.
Provence Living shares the everyday side of rural life in Southern France: the food, the local wines, the sights, the services, the markets, the walks and the places to stay. It is written for people who visit, people who have moved here, and people still thinking about it.
The idea
Year-round information, not just summer
Cotignac is a small village in the Provence Verte, and much of what is written about the area is aimed at the holiday season. Provence Living takes a longer view, covering the quieter months as well as the busy ones.
The site grew out of a Facebook page of the same name, started on September 1st, 2012, when there was simply not enough information available for English speakers living in and around the village. Susana Iwase Hanson, who moved to Provence in 2002, has been photographing and writing about the area ever since.
Because the page reaches a good number of people, requests often arrive to share other people's, associations' and businesses' information. This page sets out what the site is for, so those requests can be answered clearly.
Provence Living exists for the everyday side of rural life in the south of France, the part that guidebooks tend to skip over. It is a place to read about the food and the local wines, the markets that fill a village square, the walks that start at the edge of town, and the small services that make daily life easier once you are here. The writing is meant for visitors, for people who have settled in Cotignac and the surrounding villages, and for anyone still quietly wondering whether this corner of Provence might suit them.
What sets this kind of sharing apart is its attention to the whole year rather than a single bright season. Summer brings its festivals, concerts and long warm evenings on a terrace, but the quieter months have their own rhythm too, from the first lavender and poppies to the Christmas markets and the slow comforts of a shared table. Reading along is a way of keeping in touch with village life, gathering ideas for a future visit, or simply enjoying the ordinary details that make this part of the world feel so welcoming.
Sharing information about Cotignac and surrounding villages.
Provence LivingCommunity knowledge
Written by people who live here
Provence Living is a personal, community-focused project rather than a commercial directory. The aim is to pass on what is genuinely useful: where to eat, what is happening in the village, how to handle everyday practicalities, and which corners of the region are worth the drive.
Contributors write from their own experience of living in the area. Susana is an elected official in Cotignac in charge of communications and foreign resident relations, and Victoria Koning also contributes to the site.
The site is not currently selling advertising. Its focus stays on sharing community knowledge with readers.
