TRAVEL DIARY OF THE IMPRESSIONISTS OF SOUTH OF FRANCE

You will be transferred from the Nice airport to your hotel on the waterfront.

Your first afternoon is to relax and enjoy this lovely town. This evening join your tour Manager and Mr Jean Francois Arnaud, world renown painter for a trip overview information session and a welcome drink.

Overnight Hotel West End or similar 

Meals : at leisure

This morning visit the beautiful Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its lovely gardens. You will first visit the gorgeous interior of the Villa with your guide and will then have plenty of time to paint in the gardens (1.5 hr) with Jean Francois  (French, Stone garden, Florentine Garden, Exotic garden, or even the Japanese garden). Lunch today will be served in the beautiful Tea room overlooking the Bay of Villefranche. After lunch return to Nice to spend some time in the century old olive groves to sketch (1hr) across the Matisse Museum. Afterwards enjoy a self guided visit inside the museum. Upon return to the hotel, join jean Francois for a cocktail and Art Critique. Dinner of a traditional  "Salade Nicoise" and "Petits Farcis", specialties of Nice at a local restaurant in the old town. 

Overnight Hotel West End

Meals B,L,D

 This morning you will join Jean Francois on the beach across the hotel for a painting, sketching class (1hr) Enjoy then a very scenic drive on the way to the Principality of Monaco and Montecarlo, where you can see the change of the guards at the Palace. Free time for lunch and shopping.

  Transfer to the village of Eze, one of the most spectacular village in France, a medieval village hanging off the cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. You will have some free time to sketch in this beautiful village and even maybe visit the Fragonard perfume factory if you wish. Dinner is at leisure tonight.

Overnight Hotel West End or similar

Meals B

Morning transfer to the city of Aix en Provence via a photo stop to view the Mountain Sainte Victoire painted so many times by Cezanne. Jean Francois will spend some time there in a field overlooking the Mountain and where you will be able to paint (1hr). In Aix en Provence, a local guide will take you on a "In the Footsteps of Cezanne" walk through the center of town before visiting the Hotel de Caumont Art Center where you will have lunch in the beautiful salons. Enjoy a movie about Paul Cezanne and visit his workshop that has not changed since his death in 1906.

Arrive this evening at your hotel, a typical provençal "Mas" (Country Inn). 

Meals B,L,D

A lovely free day for you to enjoy, you may choose to rest at the hotel and paint in the gardens or you can enjoy free time in the beautiful town of Isle Sur La Sorgue discovering the town's many Art dealers, Antique shops and markets. Free time for lunch. If you decide to go to Isle sur la Sorgue, you will join Jean François for an in depth class by the river “Sorgue”. Dinner and overnight at the hotel

Meals B,D

This morning with your guide (A Van Gogh specialist) you will discover the "Antiques" the most well preserved Roman Monuments in France at the entrance to the Roman town Glanum, before heading to the village of "Les Baux de Provence" where you will visit the "Quarry of Lights" an incredible inside quarry where famous paintings from international Artists from the South of France are projected on the walls along with a classical music presentation. You will have time in Les Baux for shopping in the lovely boutiques and enjoy a lunch at your leisure. This afternoon, your guide will take you through Saint Paul de Mausole, where Van Gogh stayed for treatments during his troubled time in 1889/1890 and painted more than 150 paintings. It is now a nursing home that has permanent exhibition of paintings made by the patients and beautiful reproductions of Van Gogh's paintings. Outside the hospital, the guide will then take you on a walking tour "In the footsteps of Van Gogh" showing you many copies of his paintings at the exact same locations where they were painted by van Gogh... So little has changed... This is where you will have some time to paint. Dinner tonight at the Inn. Meals B,D

This morning join Jean Francois in the gardens for a painting class (1.5 hr). You will then head out for a lovely lunch in a local auberge before arriving in Gordes, one of the most beautiful villages of France, where you will enjoy a stroll through the narrow medieval lanes. Afterwards we will stop to discover the village of Roussillon (known for its ochre quarries and red stone houses) where you will join Jean François on a short self guided walk to the quarry known for its vibrant ochre deposits and the artistic inspiration they provide. This village in Provence, known as the “Colorado Provencal” is built on ochre-rich earth, which has been mined for centuries and used to create a stunning palette of warm, earthy colors for painting and other applications. Join us for an evening visit to a local winery for a tasting before going back to the hotel for dinner.

Overnight Provence Country Inn

Meals B,L,D

Morning transfer to the town of Saint Tropez where you will visit the Musée de l’Annonciade, housed in a former chapel, that displays a collection of 19th and 20th century paintings, including works by Signac, Matisse and Braque who were all inspired by Saint Tropez. It is a great place to see how Signac’s neo-impressionist style evolved and how it influenced other artists. Walk around the old Port, explore the narrow streets of La Ponche and visit the Place des Lices market. These are all places that Signac would have seen and painted, and they still retain their charm and character. This afternoon, transfer to Saint Paul de Vence, also known as one of the most beautiful villages in France where you will stay for the next 2 nights. 

Meals B

This morning, you will head first to the village of Vence to visit the Chapelle du Rosaire, while it was designed by Matisse, Marc Chagall created the stained glass windows, featuring vibrant colors and religious imagery. Then spend some time in the amazing village of Saint Paul de Vence before joining your tour manager and Jean Francois for a wonderful farewell lunch at a star Michelin restaurant. This afternoon, head to Cagnes sur Mer where you will discover Auguste Renoir’s home. Auguste Renoir, an emblematic painter of Impressionism, but also a sculptor, lived for many years at Domaine des Collettes. A visit to the Renoir Museum, established in this residence, allows you to discover the atmosphere in which the artist lived during his last years. The works on display, but also the rooms where the painter and sculptor lived and worked, make this museum an exceptional place with an intimate atmosphere.

Tonight we will meet for a light dinner by the pool at the hotel. 

Meals B,L,D

Morning transfer to the Nice Airport for your flight back to the USA.

Meals B