Provence

Provence is a former Roman province and is now a region of southeastern France, located on the Mediterranean Sea adjacent to France's border with Italy. It is now part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. The traditional region of Provence encompasses the départements of Var, Vaucluse, and Bouches-du-Rhône in addition to parts of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Alpes-Maritimes.

Culture

Provence is noted for its landscapes and climate, its cuisine, some of its wines, and its perfumes. The major perfume-making region of Grasse is located near Nice.

Related Topics:
Landscapes - Climate - Cuisine - Wine - Perfume - Grasse

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Provençal cuisine is characterized by the use of vegetables such as tomatoes, courgettes, eggplants, herbs such as thyme, and olive oil.

Related Topics:
Vegetable - Tomato - Courgette - Eggplant - Thyme - Olive oil

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Much rosé wine is produced under the Côtes de Provence appellation, using some of the typical grapes of southern France, Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, and Cinsault. It is often at its best young. The other Appelations of Provence are Bandol AOC, Les Baux de Provence AOC, Bellet AOC, Cassis AOC, Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence AOC, Coteaux Varois AOC and Palette AOC.

Related Topics:
Rosé - Côtes de Provence - Appellation - Grape - Grenache - Syrah - Carignan - Cinsault - Bandol AOC - Les Baux de Provence AOC - Bellet AOC - Cassis AOC - Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence AOC - Coteaux Varois AOC - Palette AOC

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Provençal is the adjective used to describe things originating from this region, as well as being the name of the local Romance language. Provençal is a dialect of Occitan, and is not mutually intelligible with either Parisian French or standard Italian. Instead, it is part of the Romance languages' dialect continuum that stretches from Italy to Portugal.

Related Topics:
Adjective - Romance language - Provençal - Occitan - Parisian French - Standard Italian - Dialect continuum - Portugal

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Authors who have written about Provence include:

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• Alphonse Daudet
• Frédéric Mistral
• Jean Giono
• Marcel Pagnol
• Peter Mayle

Painters of Provencal scenes and landscapes include:

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• Paul Cézanne
• Vincent van Gogh