thank you
hi guys welcome back to our channel the number one place for people who love design arts and
all things creative it's Jacqueline here and this is part three in art design travel series during
July Laszlo and I went to the south of France and also met up with my parents and we thought
we'd show you what we got up to on our travels and all the cool architecture and design we saw
along the way I've been lucky enough to visit France many times growing up but my family and
I would usually go to the pay de la Loire region so this was actually the first time I've been to
the south of France and it was so interesting to see how different the architecture and
surroundings change as you travel further south of the country which may sound completely normal
if you live in such a vast country like America however here in the UK especially England the
architecture doesn't change that much when you travel to another part of the country
like I said before we actually met my parents there and the whole point of the holiday was to
do a big south of France road trip because we've always wanted to do it and we thought that in
order to see the different towns a car Journey would be the best way to explore the regions so
our French Journey started in the famous region of Provence which is actually divided into six
departments we started off in the Alpes maritimes] and VAR area which includes the Glamorous French
Riviera then traveled North to explore the valleys of the Alps in the Alp des haute Provence District
next traveled down to the bouche du rhones to explore the quintessential provincial town of
Aix and finally moved North out of Provence towards the Southwest ending up in the medieval
dordogne Department from London it was a two-hour flight to nice airport which was very quick and
because it was an evening flight we planned to start exploring the region the next morning if
you're thinking of traveling there just know that there are many towns to visit in Provence and also
in the French Riviera we even stopped in Italy for a pizza because it was so close and I think it's
definitely worth traveling to these towns because they all have their own unique attractions and
architecture but we had no idea just how many small towns were worth visiting and our host
actually recommended specific towns that we hadn't even heard of before so make sure to leave room in
your itinerary for those places whilst on your visit because they are truly beautiful province
is located in the south east of France and is of course known for its glamor along the Cote d'azur
and Hilltop Provencal Villages that Overlook the vast Alps mountain range along the French Riviera
the coastline is saturated with first-class hotels restaurants Chic boutiques private beaches and
luxury houses mainly in the cities of nice can and of course the municipality of Monaco 2. this
area is extremely Chic and glitzy and there's a reason it's renowned for being a second home to
movie stars however the rusticity of the region becomes clear when driving amongst the golden
Olive grows in the hills and exploring Countryside towns in particular we loved the frejus and San
Rafael area because of the massif de l'esterel mountain range famous for its rugged Red Rocks
it was just a really beautiful place and the towns were less flashy than the others along
the Riviera so it kind of gives you a taste of both the glamorous and rustic sides of the region
now the is synonymous with art architecture amazing food and is just an all-around inspiring
Melting Pot of culture which is why more than 13 million tourists visit here every year whilst we
were in the Cote d'azur I was surprised at how different the towns we visited were from one
another the architectural contrast hit you in the face the mixture of Architecture is due to
the many different countries that have occupied the area over the years Provence was inhabited
by ligures or since Neolithic times by the Celtic since about 900 BC and the Greek colonists since
about 600 BC it was conquered by Rome at the end of the 2nd Century BC and became the first Roman
province outside of Italy Provence thousands of years ago was part of Roman Gaul and because of
that the area is filled with Roman remains and colorful pockets of color specifically the town
of Menton famous for the annual Lemon Festival for centuries it formed the border between
Provence and Genoa and was actually Italian until the disputed French vote of 1860 when
it was added to France and it's because of this Italian Heritage that you'll find such pungent
colors reminiscent of the Cinque Terre which is a vast contrast to the Towering apartment blocks in
nearby Monaco and the Glamorous belle epoque era hotels along the Promenade de la croisette in can
further down the coast sits the Romanesque town of frejus a port town seeped in historical and
Architectural Heritage the group of Episcopal buildings including frejus Cathedral were built
between the 5th and 16th century and the baptistry is one of the oldest in France an example of early
Christian architecture although perhaps when we think of classic provincial architecture we
imagine Stone farm houses and Hilltop Villages that Overlook the mountains and no Town creates
this atmosphere better than st paul de vence nestled into the hills The Village's
beautiful landscape teamed with its endless art galleries and quirky sculptures make it an
art Lover's paradise and an extremely popular tourist destination The Village developed its
Baroque religious architecture and in the 19th century the artists started to arrive
attracted by the light and the Beautiful architecture of the village we actually
wandered around the town in the evening which was lovely because one the town wasn't crazy
and two we were able to see the sunset over the Alps just a perfect way to end the day
oh
after exploring the French Riviera our trip progressed West to the historic
city of Aix en Province known as the home of impressionist painters
Cezanne the prestigious University and the hundreds of fountains dotted around
the center hence Aix is called the city of a thousand fountains
from 879 until 1486 Provence was a semi-independent state ruled by the
council Provence and because of that to this day the city still keeps a sophisticated appearance
the vibe however is very different we found it to be very laid back and there's a real
Alfresco culture there aix has all the beauty that Provence has to offer in one place great
food good wine markets Mountain views and within driving distance to the beautiful Lavender Fields
well we didn't get to see the lavender because it was cut down early because of the heat waves
but I'm sure that would have been amazing too it's an extremely walkable city so we decided
to walk the main city center and explore the historic areas in the old town or the viel aix
the public squares and Courtyards aligned with 17th and 18th century mansions and the streets
are shaded with trees making it the perfect City to stroll through if you're looking
for a city like Paris that has a relaxed and Mediterranean feel this is the place for you
the French Regional province is truly a Marvel it's everything I imagined it to be but even
more in fact the colors are more Vivid the aroma is more intense and the food more Sensational than
you can imagine needless to say we will be back and hopefully we'll see the lavender next time
after our adventure in Provence it was time to head Inland to the Southwest Department of
dordogne a territory famed for its rural French Countryside living the door doing gets its name
from the river which cuts through the territory and is referred to as the Perigord by the French
as that was the former province's name it's extremely vast and we only had time to explore
the perigord Noir area which gets its name from the dark color of this Evergreen Oak Forest and
the abundance of black truffles the area is now known as a gastronomic epicenter in France and
where its abundance of nature that attracts many hikers and canoers during the summer months when
you arrive in the vezere valley of course nature will blow you away but the architecture too the
town of Sarlat La Caneda actually holds the record for most medieval buildings per square
meter in France and walking through the town it really does feel like you're walking in
a different time in history further down in the pretty Village of Beynac sits an imposing
Castle perched above Richard the lionheart King of England once walked the halls of the castle gazing
out at his French enemies in Castle no across the river The River's Edge is lined with a stretch of
wonderful Stone houses with black roofs typical of the region in fact the town is classified as
one of the most beautiful villages in France and it was one of the filming locations for
the 2000s film chocolat The picturesque landscape glistens with Blackstone Lauze rooftops a typical
Maison perigordine has a laws roof which is slate cut between three and five centimeters
of thickness giving a very distinctive appearance however the greatest characterization of the door
doing are the Limestone facades making the door doing known as the golden region the okra color
glows in the Sun and lights up the historic walkways within the towns if you decide to
explore this part of France make sure to explore the caves Scenic Riverbanks authentic towns and
try the signature Cuisine the region has to offer for the true French country experience
because
Renoir Matisse we could be here all day long naming the Giants of the fine art word who have
all came down here at some point during their active years sunrises sunsets no matter what
moments they have been wanting to immortalize on their canvases the effortlessly brilliant
Seascape of the cutest Azure turned out to be a great source of inspiration for all of them if
art history is your kind of thing there are many places where you can see the countless amounts of
artworks these Masters have left behind for us to see museums collections even Studios of Van
Gogh and Renoir are visitable places in the area there must definitely be something in the air
around this place as wherever we went we felt like we were surrounded by Art and Design inspiration
and not just in the formation and obvious places Artisan gift shops quirky sculptures
and hand-painted lettering are sprinkled around these regions streets shops and restaurants all
coming together to decorate these picturesque town it really gives you the impression that people of
all ages genuinely care about the Legacy and the power of this place once we were in Charlotte we
went to Atelier Masood an art studio run by Jean Franco Amazon which was one of the best if not the
best Gallery we went to we definitely recommend you to check his paintings out if you are in the
door doing or if you want more info to buy online we have left his website and contact information
in the description box in the wrong hands all this design work could easily come across first
or overly commercialized but since everything is done so Tastefully and with such care this
definitely is not the case here that is not one street fan 10 or church window that feels
neglected or out of place you see real signs of craftsmanship wherever you look which creates a
wonderful sense of Harmony between the human-made creations and the natural landscape foreign
I know it sounds like we did a lot and in all honesty we did and yet there are still so many
times we didn't get the chance to explore I think my main takeaway is that if you're an artist
designer or architect or just a lover of all those things this is truly a place where you can become
inspired by The Busy towns and cities but also unwind in the Romantic Countryside if you have any
questions about visiting the south of France leave a comment below and I'll help you as best as I can
I hope you enjoyed our travel and design Vlog and I will see you in the next video bye guys foreign