Postcards From Provence

About Postcards From Provence

Bi-weekly glimpses into Provencal life and conversations with expats who've made Provence their home. Travel, food, culture, and the secrets of life in the South of France, hosted by Australian writer Alex Lalak.

Publisher

Alex Lalak

Category

arts · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 Apr 2026

Latest episode

27 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

12 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   27 Aug 2026

   A Local's Guide to Eating in Provence: Olives to Aïoli

   In this episode, I'm talking about the thing that brought me to Provence before I ever set foot here: the food. I trace it back to two books I read as a teenager (Richard Olney's Lulu's Provençal Table and Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence) and the picture they gave me of simple, sun-soaked meals shared around a crowded table. Years later, actually living here, I've found the reality isn't far off. From there I work through the ingredients that make this cuisine what it is: the olives (including the ones ripening on my own trees), the olive oil and garlic that start almost everything I cook, herbes de Provence and summer basil, the tomatoes and courgettes filling the markets right now, and the produce this region is famous for: Cavaillon melons, Carpentras strawberries, Banon goat's cheese, and local lamb. Then the dishes themselves: soupe au pistou, ratatouille, tapenade and anchoïade, a proper grand aïoli, daube, the Niçoise specialities (pan bagnat, pissaladière, socca), bouillabaisse, and petits farcis - plus what to actually expect on a menu here, which is lighter and far more vegetable-forward than most people picture when they think of French food. If you're planning to eat your way through Provence, or just want to understand why the food here means so much to the people who live here, I hope this gives you a real sense of it. I'd love to hear which dish you try first...

2. 

   10 Aug 2026

   A Local's Guide to the Côte d'Azur: Antibes to Cassis

   In this episode, I'm taking you along the Côte d'Azur - the glittering coastal stretch of Provence that looks and feels completely different to the lavender fields and vineyards further inland. I start with the trip that first brought me here: an early train from a heatwave-stricken Paris, and my first lunch on Aunt Juliette's terrace above Antibes that I still think about years later. From there, I work my way through some of my favourite spots along the coast - Nice, with its daily markets and (unmissable) Monday flea market; Menton, the lemon capital near the Italian border; Villefranche-sur-Mer and hilltop Saint-Paul-de-Vence; and Grasse, the perfume capital, where you can bring home a scent nobody else will have. Heading back toward Marseille, I cover Cannes and its quieter, sandier neighbour La Bocca (home to my all-time favourite Le Cabanon), the beach clubs near Saint-Tropez worth actually stopping for, and Cassis, the fishing village that might be the most underrated base on the whole coast. If you're planning time on the Côte d'Azur, or just dreaming of it from somewhere much hotter or much colder, I hope this gives you a proper feel for the place and a few new spots to add to the list. I'd love to hear which one you visit first...

3. 

   24 Jul 2026

   Libby Travers: Food, Love, and Building a Life in Provence

   In this episode, I'm joined by fellow Australian Libby Travers - food writer, co-author of Meat: The Ultimate Companion, and the voice behind the newsletter Eight Days. Libby splits her life between Provence and Australia, and we talk about what it actually means to build a writing life (and a food life) between two countries. We get into her Provence origin story: a life-changing teenage meal at a tiny bistro that no longer exists, a map of the Mediterranean built entirely around where the olive tree grows, and the unlikely way she met her French husband on a remote path in Crete. From there, the story of the ruin they turned into a home: a year living in a yurt, a house built in six weeks before their son was born, and all the ancient, unspoken wisdom baked into two-hundred-year-old Provençal architecture. Libby also shares her favourite places to eat (including a bistro with a Charles Aznavour cameo you have to hear to believe), the foods and traditions she's learned from neighbours and in-laws, and why Provence's family food rules leave no room for flexibility. And we don't shy away from the harder truths either - including what athe recent string of brutal heatwaves is doing to her sense of the region's future. Whether you're drawn to Provence for the food, the romance, or the whole complicated reality of it, this conversation has all three...

4. 

   9 Jul 2026

   The Unwritten Rules of Provence

   In this episode, I'm sharing the things about daily life in Provence that nobody tells you in advance. The small, practical rules that locals just know, and that make the difference between feeling like you're fighting the system here and feeling like you're actually part of it. I start with a quick check-in from the middle of a canicule (heatwave) - what the heat is really like on the ground, and the small adjustments that make it survivable. Then I get into the real rules: how cash still matters more than you'd expect, why the countryside internet is far patchier than you'd assume, and why not everyone here speaks English, even in a region so used to visitors. I also cover the deeper shifts: how "productivity" means something completely different in Provence, why service moves at its own pace and why that's worth surrendering to rather than fighting, and the quiet importance of saying bonjour to everyone from shopkeepers to strangers in a waiting room. Whether you're thinking of moving here, you're planning a visit or dreaming of one, these are the rules that will make you feel less like a tourist and more like you belong here. And if there's a rule of Provence you've learned the hard way, I'd love to hear about it...

5. 

   10 Jun 2026

   Planning Your Visit to Provence

   In this episode, I'm sharing everything I wish I'd known before my first visit to Provence - the practical side of things that can make the difference between a trip that feels rushed and one that actually lets this place in. I cover when to come (and what each season actually feels like on the ground), where to stay, how to get here and get around - including a strong case for renting a car - and how to structure a day so you're moving at the right pace: leisurely breakfast, market, long lunch, nap, apéro, simple dinner at home. I also share the practical tips that matter most: how far ahead to book (further than you think), why Sunday logistics will catch you out if you're not prepared, what to know about cash, language, tipping, and how to dress when it's 35 degrees and you're navigating cobblestones. Whether you're planning your first trip or your fifth and wanting to do it differently, this episode is for you. And if you have questions about visiting (or a trip coming up) I'd love to hear from you…

6. 

   28 May 2026

   William Ruller: Finding Rust and Romance in the Luberon

   In this episode, I'm joined by William Ruller, a painter and ceramicist whose visual language was forged in the abandoned mills and industrial landscapes of upstate New York, where he grew up and who now lives in Apt, in the Luberon. We talk about what it means to live somewhere that isn't the place that made you. William is, by his own description, a little moody and a little romantic, drawn to mist over the valley rather than postcard sunshine, and he's honest about a tension at the heart of his work: he doesn't think Provence has changed his painting, yet he keeps finding his own aesthetic here in the ruins of old chateaux, an abandoned fruit confit factory, the structures the landscape is slowly taking back. Along the way: raising children between two cultures and the quiet civilisation of a school lunch, the protected landscape where a vineyard sits beside wild scrub, the case for October, aimless drives down roads that lead somewhere, and the first Provençal strawberry that made him feel he'd never really tasted one before. A conversation about place, identity, and the things we carry with us wherever we create.

7. 

   14 May 2026

   Why I Love Provençal Markets

   In this episode, I'm sharing why markets are one of my absolute favourite things about life in Provence - and one of the biggest reasons I live here. I talk about what makes Provençal markets special, what you can expect to find (with a season-by-season walk through the produce), and the practical tips that will help you get the most out of a visit. I also share some of my favourite markets: – Coustellet – L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue – Villeneuve-lès-Avignon – Saint-Rémy-de-Provence – Eygalières – Apt and L'Isle – Velleron – Les Halles in Avignon Whether you're planning a trip, dreaming about one, or just curious about what a French market is really like, this episode is for you. And if you have a favourite market of your own, I'd love to hear about it…

8. 

   30 Apr 2026

   Florence Champ: A Painter's Provence of Colour, Markets, and Cheese

   In this episode, I'm joined by the utterly delightful Florence Champ, a painter who divides her time between Provence and Lisbon, and whose work is shaped by light, colour, and the rhythms of daily life. We talk about growing up between Uzès and the Alpilles, what it means to live somewhere rather than visit, and how Provence finds its way onto the canvas, even when she's painting elsewhere. Florence shares her great loves: the food and flea markets she plans her weeks around, a serious devotion to cheese and Picholine olives, and the particular blue light of the Luberon. She also tells me about Paint and Feast, the week-long painting workshop she's running in November. It's a conversation about colour and place, and the small rituals that make a life here.

9. 

   16 Apr 2026

   10 Restaurants I Love in Provence

   In this episode, I'm sharing 10 restaurants I truly love here in Provence - the places I return to again and again, and the ones I always recommend to friends when they visit. From long, lazy lunches in Ménerbes to aperitif spots, village bistros, and destination dining in the Luberon and the Alpilles, this is my personal, tried-and-tested list rather than a "best of." I talk through: – Café du Progrès in Ménerbes – Domaine de la Citadelle in Ménerbes – Monsieur Tu in Ménerbes – Bistrot Francis in Bonnieux – Le Saint Hubert in Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt – La Bastide in Gordes – Le Mas in Gordes – Le Bistrot in Lourmarin – Bistro du Paradou in Paradou – Bistro Jaja in Maussane-les-Alpilles If you're planning a trip (or just dreaming about one) this episode is for you. And if you have your own favourites, I'd love to hear them...

10. 

    2 Apr 2026

    Lise Kvan: Food, Hospitality, and Life in Provence

    In this first portrait episode, I'm joined by Lise Kvan, co-owner of Le Saint Hubert, a restaurant and hotel in the heart of Provence. We talk about her life here - what brought her to the region, what it's like running a restaurant and hotel with her husband Eric, and the rhythms of daily life in Provence. Lise shares her perspective on food, hospitality and the small details that make this part of the world so special, as well as the things that might surprise people about living here. It's a conversation about place, work and building a life in Provence.

11. 

    2 Apr 2026

    What Spring Feels Like in Provence

    Spring is one of the most beautiful and quietly transformative times of year in Provence. In this episode, I talk about what the season feels like here - the light, the markets beginning to fill again, the first warm days and the sense of everything gently coming back to life after winter. It's a slower, softer kind of spring than you might expect, and one that reveals itself in small, everyday moments (and lots of delicious food). If you're curious about what Provence is really like beyond the height of summer, this is a glimpse into the season that many people who live here love most.

12. 

    1 Apr 2026

    Welcome to Postcards from Provence

    In this first episode, I'm introducing myself and sharing the story behind the podcast - how I came to live in Provence and why I wanted to create something that captures the feeling of life in the south of France. This podcast is a mix of personal reflections and conversations with people who live and work in Provence (from artists and writers to makers and creatives) exploring not just what life looks like here, but what it feels like. If you've ever dreamed of living in France, spent time here, or are simply drawn to a slower, more sensory way of life, you're in the right place.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

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