S O U T H E R N -- F R A N C E

Beyond Paris, the most dazzling constellation of restaurants in France is found in the south,
or that sunny triangle of languor and luxury that runs from Menton to Montpelier and inland to Avignon.
The area's gastronomic reputation has been on the rise since at least the 1860s,
when the first Paris-Lyon-Marseilles trains reached Nice and Monaco and helped turn the Riviera into the most fashionable destination in the world.
All of Europe soon became interested in Proven�al cooking, and rough-and-tumble dishes
like bouillabaisse found their way onto menus at stylish restaurants from London to New York.

There has been plenty of culinary innovation along the way, too.
In the 1970s, a small band of southern French chefs created a new cuisine of the sun,
drawing inspiration from peasant dishes as well as from sunny places around the world.
Today a new generation is taking up the challenge, bringing a cosmopolitan modernity to fresh,
healthy cooking based on regional produce and traditional recipes.
The result? There's never been a better time to pull up a chair in the South of France. � Alexander Lobrano

avignon / cannes / les alpilles / marseilles / nice
Southern France
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