Secret Provence Guide

Let Secret Provence guide you around the unusual and unfamiliar. Step off the beaten track with this fascinating Provence guide book, now in its 3rd edition, and let our local experts show you the well-hidden treasures of this amazing region. Ideal for local inhabitants and curious travellers alike.The places included in our guides are unusual and unfamiliar, allowing one to step off the beaten track. Secret Provence features 230 secret and unusual locations. Discover a statue of a pregnant Virgin Mary, an astronomical observatory in a former nuclear missile silo, a hotel room in a tree or a gypsy caravan, primitive Provencal artists, the mark of Christ's knee, a fountain that flows with wine, a caiman dedicated to the Virgin Mary, a church in a theatre, an erotic medieval bas relief, a countess who returned to life, a Provencal Villa Medicis, a false volcano at La Roquebrussane, a 'sheep bridge' at Arles, a rain-making saint, an alchemist's garden, a magic palindrome at Oppede.Far from the crowds and the usual clichés, Provence offers countless off-beat experiences and is home to any number of well-hidden treasures that are revealed only to residents and travellers who find their way off the beaten track. An indispensable guide for those who thought they knew Provence well or would like to discover the other face of the region.

Jean-Pierre Cassely, born in Marseille and living in Cassis, spent ten years working for the French television network, France 3, before becoming an independent in the field of television, video and sound (together with his long-time partner Philippe Carrese). One day in Paris, he had an eye-opening experience. A series of visits revealed to him the secrets of the Ile-Saint-Louis, the hidden corners of Montmartre, and the black humour lurking in Pere Lachaise cemetery. Returning home to Provence by train, Jean-Pierre was already thinking about all the anecdotes he had collected or could collect about his own native region. He proceeded to explore the village of Cassis, the cities and towns of Marseille, Aix, Sanary and, most recently, Toulon. His commentaries concerning his discoveries, broadcast daily on France Bleue Provence radio, under the apt title of 'Unusual Provence', took a humorous and sometimes provocative 'popular-historical' approach. Further information on these astonishing accounts can be found at: www.provence-insolite.org