France
Living and Learning in Provence: Independent Stay and Study
Program No. 22213RJ
Could you live like a true Provençal? Find out on this six-week learning adventure in Provence as you stay in a local apartment and learn the arts and history of the region.
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45 days
44 nights
18 meals
5B 8L 5D
1
In Transit To Program
In Flight
2
Arrive Aix, Check-in, Orientation, Welcome Dinner
Aix-en-Provence
3
Getting Acquainted With Aix, Local Customs & Culture
Aix-en-Provence
4
Learning More About Aix, Free Time
Aix-en-Provence
5
Living in Provence: Week 1, Free Time
Aix-en-Provence
6
Language Class, Promenade Gourmande, Café Get-Together
Aix-en-Provence
7
Language Class, Free Time
Aix-en-Provence
8
Language French Class; Promenade gourmande
Aix-en-Provence
9
Cultural Learning Friday, Musée Caumont
Aix-en-Provence
10
Independent Weekend, Free Day
Aix-en-Provence
11
Independent Weekend, Free Day
Aix-en-Provence
12
Week 2, Language Class, Pastry Class
Aix-en-Provence
13
Café Get-Together, Language Class
Aix-en-Provence
14
Language Class, Free Time
Aix-en-Provence
15
Language class
Aix-en-Provence
16
Cultural Learning Friday, Atelier Cézanne
Aix-en-Provence
17
Independent Weekend, Free Day
Aix-en-Provence
18
Independent Weekend, Free Day
Aix-en-Provence
19
Week 3, Language Class
Aix-en-Provence
20
Cooking class &Language Class, Cafe Get-Together
Aix-en-Provence
21
Language Class, Free Time
Aix-en-Provence
22
Independent Exploration, French Class, Olive Oil Mill
Aix-en-Provence
At a Glance
Live like a true Provençal in Aix en Provence, a city as renowned for its culinary traditions as it is for its artistic heritage. Live in a hotel apartment and participate in weekly events learning local customs, meeting culinary artisans and exploring the museums and spaces that make Provence so unique. You will learn to “parler français” in daily language classes and try your hand at French cooking! A Road Scholar Group Leader will be on call to support you throughout this independent experience.
Activity Level
Let's Go!
Explore the city extensively on foot and via public bus. On field trips, walking up to two miles with some uneven terrain and stairs.
Activity level is based on included program elements.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Learn to speak French as you take up residence in a conveniently located hotel apartment.
- Attend a group gathering at the local cafe each week, during which your local host will help you plan your free afternoons and weekend.
- Enjoy a cooking class, food excursions and conversations with culinary artisans as you discover the cuisine of Southern France.
General Notes
Our “Living and Learning” programs give you the experience of living in a foreign country independently. Included: an apartment; a local, full-time Group Leader to support you; a few meals; five language classes per week; a weekly expert-led field trip; a weekly cafe social; one weekend-long excursion to Nice, including hotel; a city handbook and public transit pass. Due to the special nature of this program, we regret that we are unable to match solo participants with roommates.
Suggested Reading List
(19 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Living and Learning in Provence: Independent Stay and Study
Program Number: 22213
Camembert: A National Myth
Camembert - delectably fragrant, creamy-centered, neatly boxed - is the most popular and most famous French cheese. Originally made by hand in the Norman countryside, it is now mass-produced internationally, yet Camembert remains a national symbol for France, emblematic of its cultural identity. In this witty and entertaining book, Pierre Boisard investigates the history of Camembert and its legend.
Four Queens, the Provencal Sisters who Ruled Europe
Transporting you back to back to the apogee of independent Provençal power in the Middle Ages, Goldstone captures the drama of 13th-century Europe in this history of the four daughters of the count of Provence -- future queens of France, England, Germany and Sicily.
Lonely Planet French Phrasebook
This handy phrasebook focuses on pronunciation, basic grammar and essential vocabulary for the traveler.
Provence A-Z
A companion to all things Provencal, from bouillabaisse to lavender and vinaigre, by the British expatriate and Francophile Peter Mayle.
Two Towns in Provence
Celebrated food writer M.F.K. Fisher contrasts village life in Aix-en-Provence with bustling Marseilles, evoking both with anecdote and loving description.
Tasting French Terroir: The History of an Idea
This book explores the origins and significance of the French concept of terroir (the specific taste of a particular place), demonstrating that the way the French eat their food and drink their wine today derives from a cultural mythology that developed between the Renaissance and the Revolution.
Van Gogh in Arles
A study of Van Gogh in the stunning setting of Arles in Provence, the place of his death.
Provence: Food, Wine, Culture and Landscape
A stunning portrait of an alluring, sun-drenched region. Whet your appetite for Provence with over 700 jaw-dropping images of the food, landscape, and local people.
A Year in Provence
The original best-selling tale of an ex-pat settling down in Provence, told with warmth and a great deal of humor. It offers a wonderful inside look at the charms and quirks of the people and the countryside in the south of France.
The Yellow House
Gayford chronicles the turbulent three months and texture of the daily lives of Van Gogh and Gauguin in Arles, where they worked side by side in 1888. With 60 B&W reproductions.
Made in Marseille: Food and Flavors from France's Mediterranean Seaport
An enticing portrait of a historically mischievous town, followed by a robust collection of recipes.
My Life in France
The touching and famous story of Julia Child in France, where she learned to cook and fell in love with French cuisine, all in her own words.
Cezanne and Provence: The Painter in His Culture
Cezanne departed from Paris in 1886 to permanently resettle in his native Aix-en-Provence. This book explores the importance of this place for the artist as well as the regionalist politics of his day.
Waiting for Godot
One of the classics of English literature, this famous play is set in Provence. Two characters await a third, Godot, who never arrives.
The Popes of Avignon: A Century in Exile
Grounded in the architecture and papal legacy in Avignon and the surrounding area, this engaging history sets the 70-year period of papal exile in the south of France against the context of Europe's turbulent transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.
The Markets of Provence: Food, Antiques, Crafts, and More
An in-depth pocket guide to 30 of the best markets in Provence. Dive into the heart of Provencal culture and navigate the markets like a local with maps, tips, and handy phrases.
Edible French: Tasty Expressions and Cultural Bites
French food-related idioms are explained and delightfully illustrated in this playful meditation on the French language.
The Food & Wine of France: Eating & Drinking from Champagne to Provence
Behr seeks out the best of French food, in encounters from Champagne to Provence, to tell the stories of French artisans and chefs who work at the highest level. He shares what he learns from these experts on French traditions and how to best enjoy this food.
F is for France: A Curious Cabinet of French Wonders
An alphabetized catalogue of quirky French culture and history tidbits.