There are places you visit, and places that quietly change you. For Anne, Provence did exactly that, and it’s why travelers who arrive here with UnTours quickly feel they’re seeing the region from the inside out, not just passing through.
Anne has lived in Provence for more than 35 years. Raised in Paris and with family roots in Brittany, she still remembers the moment she first arrived in the south.
“It was the light,” she says. “After years in Paris, the light of Provence struck me immediately.”
She’s in good company. In the late 19th century, artists like Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cézanne were drawn south for the same reason: the way sunlight reshapes color, shadow, and mood. Anne didn’t just admire it. She stayed.
Today, as an UnGuide, Anne helps UnTourists experience Provence the way it reveals itself slowly, season by season, village by village—far beyond the highlight reel.
From Wine Cellars to Village Life
Anne’s first chapter in Provence unfolded in the wine world, in the Côtes du Rhône, one of France’s largest and most diverse wine regions. There, she worked alongside growers and winemakers deeply connected to their land.
“I loved explaining how wine is made—step by step—and telling the stories of the people behind it,” she says.
That instinct—to translate place through people, craft, and history—naturally led her into tourism. With UnTours, she found travelers who wanted more than surface-level experiences.
“What touched me most,” Anne shares, “was realizing that people from the other side of the world wanted to explore my country, slowly and thoughtfully. Sharing that is always a joy.”
Provence, According to Anne: A Place of Layers and Seasons
One of Anne’s greatest strengths as an UnGuide is her ability to show just how much Provence holds—often within a single day’s drive.
“You can be in the mountains, the hills, or by the sea without going far at all,” she explains.
UnTourists quickly learn that Provence is not one landscape, but many:
- Hilltop villages in the Luberon, where stone houses glow honey-gold at sunset
- The rugged limestone ridges of the Alpilles, dotted with olive groves and Roman ruins
- Wide, open wetlands in the Camargue, home to white horses, pink flamingos, and working rice farms
This diversity shapes daily life—and how UnTourists explore from their village home base.
Anne is also quick to say that Provence is never just “one season.” Each month has its own rhythm—from April and May, when the countryside turns vivid green and red poppies ripple through the fields, to early summer, when lavender blooms from mid-June into July and the air hums with bees. Summer brings open-air festivals filled with music, theatre, dance, and photography, while September and October shift into harvest mode as grapes and olives are gathered and village life takes on a quieter, purposeful pace.
With Anne as their UnGuide, UnTours travelers don’t just know what to see—they know when to linger and when to wander elsewhere.
Experiences You Don’t Stumble Upon (Unless You Know Someone)
Because UnTours bases are intentionally set in smaller, lesser-known villages, Anne’s recommendations often lead travelers away from crowds and into moments that feel personal.
Here are a few of her favorite ways UnTourists experience Provence differently:
- Cycling parts of the Mont Ventoux, including roads made legendary by the Tour de France
- Riding alongside the white horses of the Camargue, guided by local horsemen
- Swimming in quiet Mediterranean coves, far from busy resort beaches
- Exploring perched villages of the Luberon and Alpilles early or late in the day, when the light softens and locals reclaim the streets
- Visiting artists’ places with context—like the former home of Dora Maar, or Van Gogh’s asylum in Saint-Rémy—understanding not just where they lived, but why they stayed
- Wandering antique fairs and flea markets with enough time to haggle, chat, and learn what objects once meant in local homes
- Walking or cycling converted rail trails that trace the countryside at human speed
And then there’s the Roman legacy—standing on the steps of the Maison Carrée in Nîmes, or inside the amphitheatre of Arles, where history feels astonishingly present.
Why Anne—and UnTours—Change How You See Provence
Anne doesn’t rush travelers through Provence. She helps them settle into it. That’s the difference.
UnTours’ model—living in one place, supported by an UnGuide like Anne—creates space for small discoveries: the baker who remembers your order, the vineyard road you take twice because it felt right, the village market that becomes familiar by the end of the week.
“Provence has an authentic soul,” Anne says. “You feel it when you take the time.”
With Anne as your UnGuide, Provence is a lived experience—one shaped by light, land, food, history, and the quiet confidence of knowing you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.