Wander Lorgues, its tight-packed streets, medieval towers, and St Martin church whose grey stones glow pink as the sun sets. Head for aperitifs at the Café-du-Cours or Le Grillon next door.
Try Le Bistro Gourmet for a southern dinner of herby lamb with aioli. The Provençal diet is the healthiest of mainland Europe, so order sufficient wine to give mortality a chance.
On Tuesdays and Fridays, indulge in food lust at Lorgues market. Resist temptation, though – there’s no holiday use for a dressed guinea fowl.
Villecroze is overseen by cliffs whose caves were fortified by Benedictines fearful of Saracens, then fancied up with Renaissance frontages. They’re an extraordinary sight.
Pause for a dip at Les Salles-Sur-Verdon, before heading to Aiguines. Stop for aperitifs in this doughty old village, which perches between the lake and the Verdon Gorges, the French Grand Canyon.
There are few more dramatic spots for lunch than the Hotel Grand Canyon du Verdon (0033 494 76 91 31; hotel-canyon-verdon.com; menus from £18.80).
Just out of Lorgues, Chez Bruno (0033494 85 93 93; restaurantbruno.com) is France’s finest truffle restaurant. It’s a treat, with a terrace, Michelin star – and menus from £53.40.
Ten minutes from Lorgues, Thoronet Abbey is one of the three great Cistercian houses in Provence – a soaring distillation of purity and sobriety which tells you all about the power of faith.
Lunch on the terrace at La Petite Fontaine on the Place de la République, Collobrières. This is the chestnut capital of France – a hard little town softened for summertime visitors
For a special treat stay in the Château de Berne, a vast wine estate with a sumptuous auberge. Add a fine restaurant, pool, quad-biking, tennis and Sunday jazz picnics, and you won't need to leave.
On a budget, stay in the The Grand Hotel Bormes-Les-Mimosas, which has the most arresting views to the coast, and retains a Belle Epoque character - poised between genteel and raffish.
