Patrimoine, traditionally translated in English as "cultural heritage" derives from the Latin word patrimõnium, from pater-, patr-, father. Indeed, the word patrimony is Middle English and comes from the Old French word patrimoine.

In my head, the word patrimoine is analogous to the word patrie, meaning homeland or native country. Sadly, for many people, the idea of the South of France, and especially the Cote d'Azur, equates to glitz, paparazzi and filmstar 'glam in addition to an expensive luxury lifestyle, glorious warm sunshine, swimming pools "à débordement", mini thongs and painted toe nails.

So I thought it worthwhile to create a Patrimoine & Terroir section to bring everyone back down to earth. Without doubt there is much to see in the South of France that merits closer attention and the euphoria of being here on holiday can be quite distracting.  Yet, it would be a shame to miss out on some of this regions's most amazing historical and cultural legacy.