Living like a local while staying at La Borgada in Tourrettes-sur-Loup

We all know and love the South of France for its sparkling blue Côte d’Azur, but in peak tourist season, those hidden coves and private beaches you found on a boat trip three summers ago are suddenly not-so-secret anymore, and a relaxing day-trip is suddenly looking like fighting for a spot to bake on a pebbly beach with inches between you and the next person.

I’m here to remind you that Tourrettes-sur-Loup is part of what used to be called La Région PACA: Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur, yet sadly far too many people overlook the mountains and rivers between village and coast.

On Tourrettes-sur-Loup

 During your stay in the beautiful village of Tourrettes-sur-Loup you might be curious as to why there’s a picture of a violet flower on every other shop window… and sign… and fridge magnet… There's also a statue now.  La violette rules over all here, we’re even known as la Cité des Violettes; this is all because of our purple fields full of this fragrant little beauty that have been cultivated since the 19th century, in line with the demand from local perfumeries. I won’t go into too much history as you really should be visiting the Bastide des Violettes, just outside the village, to learn all about it.

The local primary school thankfully taught us to be flower snobs from a young age, I have fond memories of the days we got to miss class to go flower picking for the annual Fête des Violettes in early March, where the labour of children and adults alike is all for the joy of parading beautiful floats around the village streets. If you’re not coming in summer, and happen to be here in March, you’ll get to enjoy the inescapable smell of various flowers, all sorts of flower-related delicacies, and (my favourite part about it) how the whole village comes together to create and celebrate a tradition that you won’t find anywhere else.

Back to Tourrettes itself; tourists should of course do the easy-to-find loop of the village: you go in one way, come out the other, and pat yourself on the back if you found the observation point; but most importantly, don't ignore the artisanal shops along the way, which do everything from olive wood work to jewelry, pottery, and of course all sorts of violet goodies. I get a lot of knick-knacks and jewelry from these shops, I love that they’re all local artists and producers, and I think this is a great way to acquire special and unique pieces that double as souvenirs. Lots of people will miss the Mairie (Hôtel de Ville) with that loop, so I recommend going in through the left side entrance, straight past Le Chat Viré bar (which you should definitely come back to later on), where you’ll find our Hôtel de Ville, along with its fountain and small square, and you can then head straight on where you’ll join back into the main street.

The worst thing you can do while in Tourrettes is commit the crime of not going to Tom’s Glacier for a scoop of violet ice cream (I also recommend the Provençale flavour).

P.S. Tom’s is the cheapest place to buy our iconic crystallized violet petals.

Les Alentours

Grasse

Now that you’ve smelt the violets, you should visit Grasse to do some more sniffing, where you’ll find many perfumeries, whose traditional perfume-making craft is on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Fragonard, Galimard, and Molinard all offer tours, and you can create your own unique scent at Galimard’s Studio des Fragrances. This is perfect for people who like to smell good, perfume connoisseurs, and if you like to respond to compliments with “Thanks, I made it myself”. Grasse is also a very pretty town, with a perfume museum, a 12th century cathedral, and a tree-top adventure course called Canyon Forest that I used to drag my brother to.

Pont-du-Loup

When we weren’t idly picking flowers and eating ice cream, my family and I would venture out of the village to Pont-du-Loup, armed with a picnic consisting of ham, cheese, and cornichon pain-au-lait sandwiches. We spent the day wandering up the Loup river, either bathing in the small rock pools, or jumping off the tallest rocks we could find, ending the trip by visiting the Confiserie Florian, which has all the edible equivalents of the floral fragrances you just smelt in Grasse. Access to the river is found right behind the Confiserie, as well as free parking opposite it.

Pont-du-Loup also has a great craft beer bar called Bacho (bachobrewery.com), who brew their own artisanal beer, and serve cocktails, wine, and even home brewed soft drinks like their hibiscus lemonade. You can enjoy all this alongside some nibbles in a very pretty Provençale garden terrace, with a great view of Les Gorges du Loup. 

Vence (old town)

A very short drive away from Tourrettes, Vence is somewhere I’ll never tire of wandering through. After enjoying a croissant and a café noisette at Maison Palanque, head past (or maybe stop by) Henry’s Bar, into the old town. You’ll find a plethora of restaurants here throughout the different squares and broader streets – sadly, they might not always look very busy, as (in my expert opinion) the average tourist just doesn’t know where to find them, not because they aren’t wonderful!

Wander through the maze of narrow streets, where you'll come across artisanal pottery, antiques in a converted old wine cave, a bilingual bookshop, one of the best fromageries in the area, art, and so much more.

There’s a food market every Friday, where I recommend trying some fried fleurs de courgettes, the traditional Niçois socca, and picking up locally produced honey. Vence’s main square is also host to ever changing markets and events throughout the year that are definitely worth looking up while you’re here.

Saint-Paul de Vence

The famously charming Saint-Paul will offer something different every year, with art galleries and studios lining its streets, who change their displays and collections every few months. Whether you’re looking to admire, or looking to buy some art – this is the place to go.

It’s also a great town to go to if you’re looking for a bite to eat but aren’t sure of what you fancy. There are plenty of restaurants here, amongst them, Le Tilleul, which has a menu with a little bit of everything, friendly service, and a lovely terrasse shaded by its namesake: a huge tilleul tree. Of course, I have to mention the famous hôtel-restaurant La Colombe d’Or, where artists like Picasso and Matisse paid for their board and meals with their art, some of which is still hanging on the walls.

Gourdon

I love Gourdon, and I think more people should love it too. As a child, I was awed by the winding roads that lead up to it and how it seemed to teeter at the top of a cliff; it’s a véritable nid d’aigle, with origins dating back to 900AD. It offers that breathtaking pre-medieval, Romanesque architecture that feels like stepping into a fairytale and going on a little adventure.

Side note: If you like your history a little more prehistoric, I’d recommend visiting the caves nearby, the site of 30,000-year-old art (book your visit online at grottesdecougnac.com).

Gourdon has a pottery shop and a few little boutiques, but the real attraction here (aside from the views), is the food. The village’s longest standing restaurant, established in 1933, La Taverne Provençale, does a salade de chèvre chaud that stands divinely over all the others I’ve tried, as it comes with a soup bowl of delectable, melted, local goats cheese to dip your croutons in. They also serve other traditional French and Provençale specialities, all dished up with a spectacular view from their clifftop terrace. 

Gréolières-les-Neiges

If you're ever here in winter, take a trip up to Gréolières. Part of the Southern Alpes, and only a 45-minute drive from the village, this is our local ski station where you can rent the kit for the day and go speeding down the slopes. I learnt to ski here, and though I hated the morning lessons with an undeserved passion, I loved going off-piste with my dad in the afternoons, and the hot chocolate at the end of the slope.

If you happen to be a mountain biker, the station becomes the perfect course in summer, or you can go on a good old hike here.

It was a privilege to grow up here, and even more so to come back to, now that I’ve moved away and experienced city life. I truly hope I’ve inspired you to explore a bit more of this slice of Provence on your holiday, where “having things to do” should be indulging all your whims, and ending the day with some good food and an even better bottle of wine.