THE AREA

La Provence Verte (Green Provence) offers a wide variety of attractions and activities to its visitors.

Map of the area - Cotignac highlighted in red area

If you enjoy soaking up the village atmosphere, there are plenty more just as quaint and not far away: Aups, Tourtour,  Villecroze, Barjols and Carcès, for example.  Entrecasteaux is where willow hits leather regularly during the Summer months.

Four seasons fountain

Moustiers Chapel

There are village markets most days of the week, even in winter!  The Saturday market at Aix en Provence is a shopper's dream. A full list of the ‘wheres and whens’ can be found in our information book at La Ruche or click here on the Provence Tourist Guide website.

Boules in Cotignac

View over Cotignac

Nature offers its own spectacles for you to enjoy, the most striking of which are the Gorges du Verdon, a breathtaking chasm of some 700 metres which offers white-water rafting, boating, rock climbing, and hiking.

Gorges du Verdon

Sillans la Cascade

The Lac de Sainte Croix offers fishing for trout, pike and carp, as well as swimming, windsurfing or just lazing on the beach.

Lac de Sainte Croix

Gigaro beach in November

If you’re a ‘culture vulture’ we suggest you immerse yourself in the local history – there are castles, abbeys and churches galore as well as art and music exhibitions and festivals for everything from chestnuts to underwater painting.  Click to find out more.

Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild

The vineyards of the Côtes de Provence are all around you in Cotignac – in fact there is a domaine at each end of our road… If wine tasting is your ‘thing’ we suggest you find out as much as you can about the local wines before you go so that you can visit the domaines you have identified and ask to try particular wines – otherwise there are far too many and you’d have to move into La Ruche full time!  Try the Hachette Guide to French Wines 2004 which has become our ‘bible’.

Wine tasting

Spring in Provence