“I’m such a Mediterranean girl,” she says, leaning confidentially over her wineglass. The comment takes me aback, made as it is by my local host, drinking a local Cotes-du-Rhone.  The Rhone River provides the view, with nary a beach in sight.

We are in Arles, after all, ensconced solidly in Provence, a town known for the Roman arena that sits at its heart.  A place where pilgrims begin their long trek to Santiago de Compostela; where Van Gogh created many of his most famous works; a corner of the French “golden triangle” that includes Avignon and Nimes.   (Taste & Travel International, Summer 2015) READ MORE