The Landscape
The combination of high mountains of the Alpes-Maritimes, the sienna-colored Provençal foothills, the dry Mediterranean climate, and the rugged coast of the Côte d’Azur has created one of the world’s most iconic landscapes of Europe. Occupied by Celts, Greeks and Romans, Arabs and Franks, Italians and Germans, visited by millions of tourists, armies, and refugees, the area of Provence is one of the crossroads of Europe. Made famous by the art of Paul Cézanne, Vincent Van Gogh, and Pablo Picasso, the writers Marcel Pagnol and Frédéric Mistral, and now recognized as one of the culinary capitals of the world, Provence offers an ideal site for interdisciplinary education.
Explore Provence
In this course, you'll spend three weeks discovering Provence: integrating aspects of geology, environmental science, language, history, and culture in an exploration of the iconic landscape and culture of Provence. Starting in the city of Aix-en-Provence with its many fountains, you’ll travel throughout the region, staying in a twelfth century chateau and visiting the magnificent markets and famous agriculture and winemaking that inspired “Mediterranean Cuisine.” View the turquoise blue waters of the Mediterranean from Marseilles, experience the rural culture and Roman sites of the Rhone Valley, hike the mountains of Haute Provence, and wonder at the ammonite fossils and animal tracks in the Provençal Alps.
Top: Moustier-Sainte Marie. Right: Mont Sainte-Victoire, Paul Cézanne 1904-1906.