An Artist's Tour of Provence - Part I

Ten Great Places You'll Want to Paint

Mont Sainte Victoire Paul Cezanne

The south of France holds so many charms for the traveling artist that it must rank at the top of anyone’s bucket list. The region of Provence is one of the oldest areas of France, having been occupied since prehistoric times. In fact, the coast of Provence has some of the earliest known sites of human habitation in Europe. Primitive stone tools dated to 1 to 1.05 million years B.C. have been found in the Grotte du Vallonnet near Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, between Monaco and Menton. Artists have been painting in Provence since prehistoric times as well—paintings of bison, seals, auks and horses dating to between 27,000 and 19,000 B.C. have been found in the Cosquer Cave near Marseille. The Romans made the region into the first Roman province beyond the Alps and called it Provincia Romana, which evolved into the present name. They ruled the area from the 2nd century B.C. to the 5th century A.D. during which time the aqued…