Rencontres Photo Fest Opens Tomorrow in Arles

The 57th Rencontres d'Arles, the international photography festival, begins tomorrow July 6 and runs through October 4, 2026.

As in year’s past, the festival will present a wide array of exhibits, screenings, talks and projections in venues across Arles and beyond.

Some exhibits will remain on view until the end of the festival while others have limited runs.

One of this year's main themes is Des Mondes à Relire ("Worlds to Reread"), featuring exhibits and events that look at Africa through ‘’liberation, visual culture and contemporary reinterpretation.’’ Ghana! Rêver l'Indépendance, for example, explores how photography helped forge a new national identity after the country gained independence.

Another strong thematic thread this year is the living world, from animals and plants to geology and organic matter. One exhibit on photographers and animals brings together major international talents such as Lucien Clergue, Martin Parr, Jacques-Henri Lartigue, and Sebastião Salgado.

In general, photo shows are open from 9:30 am to 7:30 pm (July 6 to August 30), and from 9:30 am to 7 pm (August 31 to October 4). However, certain sites have specific hours so be sure the check the schedule. The last entry to most exhibits is 15 minutes before closing.

As in years past, the festive opening week of the Rencontres (July 6 to 12), offers a wide range of special events such as screenings and projections, guided tours, talks and evening programs; this year there are 115 open-to-the-public events during opening week. Many of the featured photographers will be in town.

For example on Tuesday, July 7 from 9:45 p.m. to midnight in the Ancient Theatre (1 Rue du Cloître), French musician, composer and filmmaker Chassol (full name Christophe Chassol) will present an original program immersing the audience in the early days of photography. Blending music, sound, and images, Chassol he’ll ‘’explore the major milestones of this visual revolution: early photographic processes, the art of portraiture, explorations of the world, nascent modernity, capturing movement, and the beginnings of cinema.’’

Chassol is best known for his concept of "ultrascore" — a technique he developed in which he takes filmed footage of real life (conversations, street scenes, nature sounds, cultural events, etc.) and harmonizes and musicalizes the natural rhythms and melodies already present in the sounds and speech. Classically trained, his work is deeply rooted in jazz, funk and Caribbean music — his family is from Martinique.

The same evening, Edward Steichen's great-granddaughter Ariana Stahmer will share an intimate account of the renowned photographer, revealing the profound connections between his work, his passion for gardens, and the women who shaped his life.

Rounding out the Tuesday evening program, Canadian artist Stan Douglas will explore ‘’questions of collective memory, powers and resistance’’ through films, photos and installations, often in dialogue with music…and the presentation of the Best Photo Books of the Year Awards. Evening programs are generally presented in French but translations are sometimes offered.

The popular annual event called The Night of Year happens on Saturday July 11, on the industrial site of the former Papeteries Étienne, which is exceptionally open to the public for this event. The work of 40 photographers will be projected continuously on large screens along with live music, DJ sets, food trucks and bars.

Altogether there are 47 Rencontres exhibits this year including 11 ''Arles Associé'' exhibitions (plus 12 ''Grand Arles Express'' exhibits, spanning an area from Mougins to Montpellier via Marseille, Aix and Nîmes.) Some 400 artists are participating, showing 4,000-plus works in more than 28 different venues...plus all the places where opening-week events will happen.

You’ll find all the 2026 Rencontres info in French and in English on the festival site here and you can follow them on IG here. 

To plan your visit, a good place to start is here.

For all the activities during opening week click here.

For info on all the evening programs in English, I found this page very helpful.

There’s a detailed English-language overview of the 2026 program here.

And for a copy of the full press kit in English, click here!

Finally, if you’d like to experience the Rencontres but find it all a bit overwhelming, a couple of my favorite tour guides have once again offered to be Rencontres sherpas! They can help you plan your visit, purchase tickets, accompany you in Arles, book a great restaurant for lunch or dinner and possibly provide transportation to and from Arles as well. For more info on that: WhatToDoinProvence@gmail.com.

Photos: (1) The 2026 Rencontres poster features a photo by Carlos Idun-Tawiah called ''Many Reasons to Live Again.'' (2) Photo by Lisa Oppenheim. (3) Photo by James Barnor from the show Ghana! Dreaming Independence. (4) Photo by Park Chan-Wook. (5) Photo by Jean-Baptiste Huynh. (6) Photo by Ayana Jackson, from her Rencontres show at the Abbaye de Montmajour outside Arles. (7) ''Wings of the Hawk, 42nd Street'' photo by William Klein. (8) Sunflower #13 by Edward Steichen, with printer's color separation guide and gray scale. (9) Photo by Park Chan-Wook. (10) Photo by Harry Gruyaert.

Where are the Michelin Stars in Provence?

For chefs and foodies alike, it's an exciting harbinger of spring: the announcement each year of the new Michelin-star ratings in the latest edition of the Michelin Guide France & Monaco 2026 (aka the Guide Rouge). With few exceptions, Michelin has been publishing French travel and restaurant guides since the year 1900 (although strictly speaking, the star-rating system began in 1926 and the three-tier system was introduced in 1931.) The history of Michelin restaurant ratings is here.

The 2026 Guide Rouge announcements were made last month at a ceremony at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco, the first time in Michelin's history that the prestigious event was hosted in the Principality. And the guide itself is now available in bookstores across France and on Amazon. But once again, because I live to please you, I've compiled a list of all the starred restaurants across Provence, the Côte d'Azur and Monaco to make it super easy for you! 

There are six departments in the region known as PACA (Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur) and you'll find all the Michelin-starred restaurants in PACA and Monaco in my list below, organized department by department. Each restaurant appears with its current 2026 star rating; restaurants new to the list are in red.

This year there was just one new three-star restaurant in all of France: Les Morainières in Jongieux in the Savoie, owned by chef Michaël Arnoult and his wife Ingrid. That brings the total number of restaurants in France and Monaco with this top accolade to 31. There are 84 two stars and 553 one stars...a total of 668 starred restaurants for 2026. To read about all the newly starred restaurants in France, click here.

Once again, Michelin has also given some un-starred restaurants its "Bib Gourmand" designation, meaning good food at low prices; the Bib Gourmand is often considered a precursor to a first star. Bib Gourmands, Michelin says, can be relied upon for ''convivial atmospheres, careful cooking and fair prices.'' This year there are 37 Bib Gourmands in PACA and you can see them all here. Altogether there are 430 Bib Gourmand restaurants across France.

Michelin has also continued to give Green Stars for sustainable gastronomy, an award distinct and separate from regular stars. The Green Star celebrates restaurants for eco and sustainable practices such as working with seasonal ingredients and sustainable producers, waste reduction, recycling, etc. The Green Star program launched in 2020 and you can read about it here.

This year Michelin also presented awards celebrating sommeliers, service, young chef talent and more. And ten restaurants were championed for the central role that desserts play in the gastronomic experience.

At the awards ceremony in Monaco, Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the Michelin Guide, praised the vitality of the French and Monegasque gastronomic scene. “Our inspectors have been particularly impressed by the audacity of a new generation of chefs who are opening very personal houses throughout France and Monaco,” he said. “Often led by couples, with complementary roles between savory and pastry, or between the kitchen and the dining room, these life projects reflect the entrepreneurial energy and strong local roots that characterize gastronomy today. From tables rooted in the terroirs to more contemporary and international cuisines, this diversity confirms that restaurants remain more than ever essential places of openness, meeting and sharing.” 

For the press release about this year's guide and winners, click here. 

The Michelin Guide France & Monaco has traditionally been published only in French. But good news for those of you qui ne parlent pas français: all of the recommendations are on the Michelin Guide website and on their app, fully browse-able in English. Poking around on the Michelin site just now, I see that in addition to starred restaurants and Bib Gourmands, they also list restaurants known simply for ''good cooking,'' which I think is a great feature. You can also book restaurants directly through the site, via The Fork. And if you register, you can keep track of your favorites, your visited restaurants and--wait for it--indulge your inner critic by sharing your opinions with Michelin reviewers.

All of that being said, I still think my list here is a super-handy way to quickly find out where the Michelin stars are...if you're living here in the South of France, traveling here or just curious. So to see all the starred restaurants in PACA and Monaco, read on! 

Michelin Starred Restaurants across Provence, the Côte d'Azur and Monaco for 2026

ALPES DE HAUTE PROVENCE (Dept. 04) 

Château Arnoux - La Bonne Étape *

Mane - Le Feuillée - Le Couvent des Minimes *

Manosque  - Restaurant Pierre Grein *

Moustiers Sainte Marie - La Bastide de Moustiers *

LES HAUTES ALPES (05)

No stars this year 

ALPES MARITIMES (06)

Antibes -  Louroc – Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc *

Antibes (Cap d'Antibes) - Les Pêcheurs *

Beaulieu- sur-Mer - Le Restaurant des Rois – La Réserve de Beaulieu *

Biot - Les Terraillers *

Cannes -  La Palme d’Or  *

Le Cannet (Cannes) - La Villa Archange **

La Colle-sur-Loup - Alain Llorca *

Èze - La Chèvre d’Or *

Èze - Château Eza *

Èze Bord de Mer - La Table du Cap Estel *  NEW 2026

Juan-les-Pins - La Passagère -  Hotel Belles Rives *

Mandelieu-la-Napoule - Bessem * 

Menton - Mirazur ***

Nice - Les Agitateurs *

Nice - L'Aromate *

Nice - Le Chantecler *

Nice - Épicentre * NEW 2026

Nice - Flaveur ** 

Nice - Jan *

Nice  - Onice *

Nice -  Racines - Bruno Cirino *

Roubiou - Auberge Quintessence *

Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat - Le Cap at the Grand-Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat *

Saint-Paul-de-Vence - La Table de Pierre * NEW 2026

Théoule-sur-Mer  - Mareluna *

Théoule-sur-Mer - L'Or Bleu  *

Valdeblore - Auberge de la Roche * NEW 2026

Villeneuve-Loubet - La Flibuste *

BOUCHES DU RHONE (13) 

Aix-en-Provence - Le Art at Château de la Gaude *

Aix-en-Provence  - Étude * 

Aix-en-Provence - La Table de Pierre Reboul  * 

Aix-en-Provence/Le-Puy-Sainte-Reparade - La Table de l'Orangerie, Château de Fonscolombe  *

Arles - La Chassagnette  *

Barbentane – Ineffable *

Les Baux-de-Provence - L'Oustau de Baumanière ***  

Les Baux-de-Provence - L'Aupiho at Domaine de  Manville * 

Cabriès  - La Bastide Bourrelly - Mathias Dandine *

Carry-le-Rouet - L’Oursin * NEW 2026

Cassis - La Villa Madie ***

La Ciotat - Couleurs de Shimatani *

La Ciotat (Le Liouquet) - La Table de Nans *

Eygalières - Maison Hache *

Gemenos - La Magdeleine - Mathias Dandine *

Marseille - AM par Alexandre Mazzia ***

Marseille -  Auffo * NEW 2026

Marseille - Le Petit Nice ***

Marseille - Une Table au Sud *

Saint-Cannat - Le Mas Bottero *

Saint-Rémy-de-Provence - L'Auberge de Saint Rémy -Fanny Rey & Jonathan Wahid **

Saint-Rémy-de-Provence - Restaurant de Tourrel *

Salon-de-Provence - Villa Salone *

Ventabren – Dan B.

 

LE VAR (83)

Les Arcs sur Agens - Le Relais des Moines *

Bandol - Les Oliviers* NEW 2026

Le Castellet - La Table du Castellet *** 

La Croix Valmer - La Palmeraie at the Château de Valmer * 

Flassans-sur-Issole – Chez Jeannette *

Flayosc - Le Jardin de Berne at the Hôtel Château de Berne *

Le Lavandou - L’Oursin, Hotel les Roches* NEW 2026

Lorgues - Bruno*

Ramatuelle - La Voile at the Hôtel La Réserve Ramatuelle **

Saint-Tropez  - Arnaud Donckele& Maxime Frédéric at Louis Vuitton *

Saint-Tropez - Colette *

Saint-Tropez - La Terrasse at Cheval Blanc * 

Saint-Tropez  - La Vague d'Or at Cheval Blanc ***

Toulon - Shanael * NEW 2026

Tourettes -  Faventia *

VAUCLUSE (84)  

Ansouis -  Garrigue * NEW 2026

Avignon - Pollen *

Bonnieux - La Bastide *

Bonnieux  - JU- Maison de Cuisine *

Bonnieux  -  La Table des Amis  **

Cadenet - Le Goût du Bonheur, La Fenière  *

Cucuron - La Petite Maison de Cucuron *

L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue - Le Vivier *

 

MONACO (98)

L’Abysse Monte Carlo **

Les Ambassadeurs by Christophe Cussac  ** 

Blue Bay Marcel Ravin **

Elsa Marcel Ravin *

Le Grill at Hotel de Paris *

Le Louis XV - Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel de Paris ***

Pavyllon, un restaurant de Yannick Alleno, Monte Carlo *

Robuchon Monaco * NEW 2026

La Table d’Antonio Salvatore au Rampoldi *

 

 

Journées du Patrimoine is Sept 20 & 21

It's that time again: The 42nd annual Journées du Patrimoine (Heritage Days) takes place next weekend, September 20 and 21, in cities and villages all over France. The program was launched by the French Ministry of Culture in 1984 and has since spread all over Europe; this year 50 countries are expected to take part. 

Officially it's called European Heritage Days or JEP (for Journées Européennes du Patrimoine) but everyone just calls it Patrimoine.

Roughly 20,000 sites or so across France are expected to participate in 2025. This is one the biggest events in the country and one of my favorite weekends of the year.

The idea is that a wide range of monuments, religious sites, estates, gardens, museums, workshops, galleries, ateliers, factories and more are open for special visits, including many that are normally closed to the public. Most sites are offering free entry and will have a guide on hand; some host special tours and events. Some of these events may require you to sign up in advance, for others you just show up. 

Throughout the weekend, some activities happen at specific times, on one day of the weekend on both. You can expect tours to be in French but a translator is sometimes provided or the guide may speak some English. Often someone in the group will offer to translate.

Some cities and villages will have events on Friday Sept 19 as well. For example, there's a special nighttime double-decker bus tour in Marseille from 7 to 9 pm on Friday night, with an exceptional opening of the Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica. 

Every year, Patrimoine has a loose theme. This year it's ''Architectural Heritage,'' highlighting the richness and diversity of architecture across France.

Ok, allons-y! What to see and do?

The main Journées du Patrimoine website is here and the department-by-department listings are here. But keep checking back because details continue to roll in as the weekend draws closer. Local tourist offices have Patrimoine info on their websites and over the years I've found that their info tends to be more comprehensive and up-to-date than the nationwide Patrimoine website. 

Every year, my village (St. Remy) publishes its own terrific map/guide to all its Patrimoine sites and activities. To see it, click here. This year, in addition to tours and visits, there's a 20 km bike ride on Saturday ''with five sensory stops to awaken the senses and rediscover historic riches.'' The ride is open to all but please reserve here or here. There's also live jazz around town both Saturday and Sunday. You can grab a printedcopy of the schedule and map at the St. Remy Tourist Office and elsewhere around town. And the Mairie of St. Remy has published additional info on some specific visits here.

Moving on, here are the programs for Avignon, Vaison-la-Romaine, Apt, Carpentras, Aix en Provence, Arles, Nimes, Marseille, Toulon, Cannes, Nice and Monaco.

The department of the Vaucluse, which includes the lovely Luberon, has published their Patrimoine intel here. And you find lots of Luberon info here.  

Don't forget about our hundreds of smaller, lesser-known villages which sometimes offer fantastic tours and visits as well. A lot of villages have published their Patrimoine schedules here.

Then there are listings for the six departments of PACA (Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur): Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches du Rhone, the Hautes-Alpes and the Var. For the Vaucluse, try here and here. And here's the Gard (which is not technically in Provence but never mind…we love the Gard anyway!). 

Up in Paris, there are more than 1,500 sites participating this year. See a great listing of events and highlights here.

As the Patrimoine weekend gets closer, organizers will continue to update the clickable nationwide map, which you can see here. It's all a bit clunky but you're smart and you'll figure it out! Vive le Patrimoine de France! 

Photos: Get out there and explore! (1 - 4) A few of the thousands of sites holding Patrimoine events include the Basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde in Marseille, the Camargo Foundation in Cassis, the Glanum architectural site in St. Remy and Le Jas de Bouffan, the Cezanne family home in Aix, shown here as painted by the artist. (5) Discover 250 varieties of bamboo (along with rare trees and shrubs) in the 4-hectare garden called Bambous en Provence, in Eyragues. Visits are discounted for JEP but not free. (6) To see what's being offered at the Fondation Vincent Van Gogh in Arles, click here.  (7) LUMA Arles will participate too, of course...info is here. (8) Chateau de Fonscolombe (in Le Puy-Saint- Reparade, near Aix) dates to 1730 and is now a five-star hotel. They're offering guided visits, by reservation. (9) The Chocolaterie de Banon has free guided tours with tasting, reservations required. (10) Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild on the Cap Ferrat has posted their JEP offerings here. (11) Free guided tours of Les Docks Village in Marseille, taking visitors from its construction in 1856 to the present, will be available Sat and Sun. For info click here.  (12) For historical tours of the Marseille St. Charles Station, click here. (13) The Jewish Cemetery in St. Remy will be open Sat (10 to 11 am) and Sun (3 to 4 pm), with a local historian present. (13) Further on up the same road, you'll find the Lac Peïroou, a gorgeous reservoir originally dammed by the Romans to provide water to the town of Glanum below. Meet at Les Antiques at 10 am for a hike up to the lake with narration by a local historian. (14) The Maison Carrée in Nimes. (15) Rides on the TER Zou train are free all weekend during JEP...but you have to buy a pass...do that here. There's also a special narrated round-trip (Sat only), leaving Gap at 10:59 am, arriving Briancon at 12:16. For the return, leave Briancon at 1:19 pm and arrive Gap at 2:41. Boarding at intermediate stations permitted. (16) In Paris, take a free guided tour (Sat or Sun) of the historic Hotel du Nord, the legendary Right Bank brasserie created in 1913. (17) The Museum of the History of Medicine in the 6th has free entry and tours all weekend; see how medicine and surgery have evolved over the centuries. More info here.  (18) Visits to the Dior Gallery in Paris are discounted for JEP but must be reserved in advance. (19) One of the many, many Paris tours during JEP is a free guided architecture tour of the Marais, by reservation. (20) This year's Patrimoine poster.

Provence Paradise is for Sale

After creating it and running it for 18 years, my friend William Moore has decided to put his beloved Provence Paradise on the market.

This is a historic hamlet of vacation villas on the outskirts of St. Remy, one of the prettiest, most-popular villages in the region.

Comprised of seven separate homes across five buildings—with 17 bedrooms total--Provence Paradise is being sold fully furnished, complete with an eclectic collection of antiques, art, books objets and tchotchkes, collected across France and beyond.   

All the buildings have new roofs, new electrical and plumbing, and reversible gas heating/AC. The roofs and insulation were redone in 2008 and 2021.
 
“There’s even a large, open-air terrace,” William says, “that’s just right for further development. Maybe a small bar and restaurant? The possibilities are numerous!”

This is a wonderful opportunity for anyone interested in taking over a thriving, turn-key vacation village…where guests enjoy the amenities and privacy of private homes but the community feel of a resort. Provence Paradise has a 5.0 “Excellent” rating and great reviews on TripAdvisor…and a large loyal following with many guests returning year after year. William is happy to include his commercial assets (the Provence Paradise name, the website and a client list of roughly 2000 names) in the sale agreement, if wanted.

Or, the property could be divided and sold as private homes, individually or in clusters, or be converted to long term rentals. 

Originally from Chicago, Willy had lived in Europe for many years before buying the property in 2004 and setting out to bring its crumbling buildings back to life. For 350 years, the Tourtet family made traditional roof tiles and bricks here…but the business collapsed when the men went off to fight in WWI...and either died or came home disabled. The oldest home on the property is La Tuilerie, which was added to piece by piece over 150 years, beginning in 1621. 

“We’d finish one house at a time and then start renting it,” Willy remembers, “which helped finance the work on the next house.  People would say ‘oh what a beautiful house!’ and I’d say ‘want to see what it looked like before? Look over there!’

“It was a total labor of love,” William adds. “You wouldn’t have done it otherwise.”

My clients who’ve stayed at Provence Paradise over the years love the welcoming spirit that William created—through Tuesday cocktail parties by the pool, for example—and unexpected, gracious touches such as the homemade first-night dinner awaiting all tired travelers and the fresh bakery delivered to every house each morning. 

But they also loved having all the modern comforts (washer/dryers, dishwashers, air conditioning, WiFi, etc.) in homes that hadn’t lost their traditional, Provencal feel…with thick stone walls, ceramic tile roofs, vaulted ceilings, beams, fireplaces, painted furniture and Provencal linens. The property itself boasts Roman relics, an ancient aqueduct and a large wine cellar. 

The seven units have fully equipped kitchens, living and dining rooms, and terraces surrounded by plantings that ensure privacy for all. They range in size from one to four bedrooms each and are modular, meaning certain spaces can be expanded for special occasions. The total “built surface” of almost 1000m² includes 780m² of indoor living space. 

All together there’s roughly 2800m² of land, fully landscaped with mature trees, vines, flowers and an automatic watering system. 

In the middle of the property there’s a large swimming pool (6m x 14m, with salt filtration), plus a hot tub, summer kitchen, loungers and deck chairs. The pool and hot tub are heated by hidden solar panels. 

Provence Paradise has three entrances and parking for seven cars but William says that could be expanded to ten or even 12 spaces.

The neighborhood is residential and quiet…but just a 10-minute walk to the heart of the village. 

St. Remy is a vibrant, historic town of 10,000 year-round residents, in the Bouches-du-Rhone department of the PACA (Provence Alpes Cote d’Azur) region. Spread out across the foothills of the Alpilles Mountains, it’s roughly three hours south of Lyon and one hour north of Marseille. Hugely popular with travelers and second-home owners, St. Remy is known for historic sites (including the excavated Greek/Roman village called Glanum), its appeal to artists of all types (Van Gogh painted 150 canvasses in the year he spent here), its festive summer events calendar and traditional local festivals, the quality of its produce and the natural beauty of the landscape. Paris is roughly three hours away via the high-speed TGV train from Avignon, 20 km north of St. Remy. 

Many of Provence’s best-known places—including Les Baux, Arles, Aix, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the Pont du Gard, the Luberon and Nimes—can be reached in an hour or less. 

Intensely passionate about historic preservation, William says that giving this old property a new life, and sharing it with guests from all over the world, has been more rewarding than he could ever have imagined.  But considering he'd already spent 36 years in international manufacturing before he began building Provence Paradise--and that he had never really planned on a demanding second career as a full-time, hands-on innkeeper in the first place-- he’s definitely ready to turn the page, to focus on family (his four kids and 11 grandkids all live in Europe now) and on travel. 

He's also thinking he may do up a few more more old buildings, like the ones he recently transformed in the nearby village of Noves. "There's magic in old stones," he says, "and they definitely get under your skin!

"This slice of paradise—Provence Paradise--has survived since the reign of Louis XIII!,” Willy continues, “and it’s definitely time to pass the torch. My hope is of course to pass it on to someone who’ll cherish it as much as I have."

For more info: williaminprovence@gmail.com, +33 (0)6 07 82 66 63.