Provence with Ryan Ratino

Day 1

Bienvenue à Marseilles! France’s ‘second’ city is one of the busiest seaports in Europe, with a buzzing energy, an infectious charm, and a sprawling patchwork of cultural influences: Provençal and Corsican, North African and Arab. We’ll dive right in at the Vieux Port, in the heart of Marseilles’ old town, to select our catch of the day: sardines, swordfish, oysters, whatever is fresh off the fishing boats. Then, it’s onto our unforgettable hands-on lunch of French-North African dishes, prepared alongside Ryan and a renowned local chef.

We’ll have time this afternoon to relax at our hotel or continue exploring Marseilles’ cobblestoned streets and steep twisting alleyways. We’ll reconvene for cocktails on our terrace before sitting down for a truly special welcome dinner at Ludovic Turac’s Une Table au Sud, overlooking the harbor. Chef Turac is one of the youngest chefs ever to earn a Michelin star; tonight we celebrate the traditionnel and moderne sides of Provençal cuisine, along with the city’s most famous culinary creation: bouillabaisse.

Day 2

After a leisurely breakfast, we’ll walk to the port and board our private yacht for a half-day cruise through stunning Parc National des Calanques. Majestic limestone cliffs tower above narrow fjord-like channels of turquoise waters and golden beaches—the national park’s landscape is unique in the world. We’ll explore by sea, with plenty of time for swimming and soaking up the sun deck-side. Lunch on board is an elevated picnic of Provençal cheese and charcuterie accompanied by a full-bodied white from the fishing village of Cassis, a tiny appellation that produces highly prized white wines in a region famous for its rosés.

We’ll have free time late this afternoon back in Marseilles to flaneur our way around and maybe join a game of pétanque at one of the city’s many tree-lined parks. Tonight is yours to enjoy in Marseilles, with dinner at one of the city’s many atmospheric brasseries.

Day 3

Our theme for today is wine in the coastal hills of Bandol, recognized among France’s most renowned wines–Bordeaux, Burgundy, Côte-Rôtie, Châteauneuf–with a traditional blend of earthy Mourvèdre grapes and Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan and Syrah. Bandol may be the most famous French terroir you’ve never heard of. 

After breakfast in Marseilles, we’ll wind along the Côte d’Azur to Domaine de la Begude, one of Bandol’s premiere wine estates, first planted by the Phoenicians and Romans, for a private tour and tasting. Our backdrop? Just a stunning view of the vineyard and rocky Mediterranean hills rolling majestically toward the sea. Lunch will take us to the terrace of another renowned winery where we’ll enjoy bistro-style dishes, with curated wine pairings, of course.

In the late afternoon, we’ll head back to the city where you’re free to relax or explore on your own. In the evening, we’ll reconvene for a casual tapas meal, a kind of only-in-Marseilles playful feast for the senses.

Day 4

Today, we bid adieu to Marseilles for the idyllic hamlet of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Known as a haven for artists and writers, it’s also the cityscape featured in Van Gogh’s The Starry Night. Along the way, we have rare cheese to sample. Our first stop is a modest fromagerie for an authentic Brousse du Rove—a soft, cone-shaped cheese made from fresh, un-aged goat’s milk—at a family-run goat farm. We’ll nibble on this seasonal delicacy and sip their wine, grown and planted just steps away in the AOC vineyard.

Finally, we wouldn’t dare leave without visiting the market in Aix-en-Provence, a year-round foodie and antique haven. We’ll explore on our own and have plenty of time for a market lunch, before arriving in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and settling in at our luxurious Provençal accommodations. Take a swim or have a glass of wine in the gardens, or simply unwind in the glorious countryside. In the evening, we’ll reconvene for a casual dinner at the hotel’s renowned restaurant. 

Day 5

Provence’s colors and texture—its ancient ruins and medieval villages, its dappled fields and swirling skies—have inspired artists like Van Gogh, Cézanne and Picasso for generations. Today, we’ll head to the town of Arles and stand in awe of Provençal art and ecology. Our first destination is the Luma Arles, a newly opened, 27-acre arts complex with a spectacular tower designed by Frank Gehry. This is no mere museum; it’s an interdisciplinary creative campus offering a total environment at the intersection of art and ecology, and an homage to the unique ecosystem of the surrounding Camargue wetlands and their ingenious building methods that rely on local salt, sunflowers, and algae.

Lunch is at La Chassagnette, which has earned a rare Michelin ‘green’ star, recognizing culinary excellence and an unparalleled commitment to sustainability. We’ll feast on local dishes sourced straight from the delta, including the Camargue’s legendary red rice. While the wines of Provence are heralded across the world, the rice of the Camargue is the actual red carpet of this particular region. After lunch, we’ll visit one of the area’s most innovative rice farms. The rest of the evening is ours to enjoy back in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. A swim? A soak? A soufflé? We recommend all three.

Day 6

Today it’s off to the countryside to take in Provence’s stunning beauty by bike. We’ll hop on our e-bikes and climb up gentle hills, through the vineyards, by and past picture-perfect villages and up into the medieval hilltop town of Les-Baux-de-Provence, perched on a rocky outcrop crowned with a ruined castle. The town, inaccessible by car, is a storybook of cobbled alleyways, Renaissance facades and several magnificent hôtels particuliers that have been revived as art galleries and museums.

After soaking up the view and the history, we’ll meander down the hill into the heart of the Alpilles mountains to Carrières de Lumières, an immersive art museum unlike any other: from the limestone confines of a former quarry, we’ll take in the larger-than-life multimedia works by Cézanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Kandinsky and Dalí among others, stretching floor to ceiling across the giant stones. 

We’ll bike back to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence for an afternoon to relax and explore on our own. In the early evening we’ll reconvene for the ultimate pièce de résistance of our trip, a farewell dinner prepared by Ryan, a celebration of our time together and a meal as rich and enchanting as Provence itself.

Day 7

It’s our last day, and after breakfast we’ll bid adieu to Ryan, and to our fellow explorers. Then we’ll head to the airport in Marseilles, renewed and invigorated by the food, drink and memories of Provence. Until we meet again!