Just Back from Provence and Italy
Another busy fall for Wingback Travel! In September, Laura dipped into Normandy and Paris, before taking the train south to Provence to lead our fall Art & Antiques trip. Afterwards, she made her way to the Milan and the Italian Lakes to put the final touches on our upcoming trip there (stayed tuned for that!). Read on for more…
Never one to waste a minute, after touching down at CDG I rented a car and headed straight for the Norman countryside. We are in the early stages of developing tours to this region so I started with the necessary site visits to two important chateaux, including Jacques Garcia’s estate the Champ de Bataille (pictured right).
I stayed at the absolutely charming Ferme St-Simeon hotel, in the picture-perfect town of Honfleur (below left).
I then spent one night in Paris at the newish Hotel Florida (mostly recommended but with reservations), which is right down the street from the Musee Jacquemart-Andre. This is Paris’s most opulent house museum with a Tiepolo ceiling (above right) and paintings by French and Italian masters. It had been closed for several years for a restoration and just reopened so it was quite crowded during my visit. That said, this remains one of our favorites. Pro tip: it hosts big exhibitions that large crowds of Parisians, especially at weekends.
Then it was off to the sunny south of France for our Art & Antiques tour in Provence. We started in bustling Aix-en-Provence before heading into the countryside.
Provence: Art & Antiques is one of our clients’ favorites (we ran it twice in 2024 and are planning it again for 2026). It’s a slower paced trip with long lunches, leisurely sightseeing, and plenty of time strolling the antique markets. We learned about ancient Roman Provence at Glanum and Vaison-la-Romaine, walked in van Gogh’s footsteps at the asylum he voluntarily entered at the end of his life, and enjoyed a day on the Mediterranean.
As usual, we had a fabulous, fun-loving group of 9 travelers. We stayed in two hotels, the rustic chic Crillon-le-Brave with views of Mont Ventoux, followed by the elegant Chateau de Fonscolombe.
After the tour, I traveled to Milan. Contrary to how it might look on a map, there is no good way to get from Provence to the Italian Lakes. I was scheduled to take three trains, going up through Switzerland, then back down to Milan. However, my second train was delayed and my journey turned into five trains. While inconvenient, the rides were extremely scenic and it was nice to sit back and relax for the day. Pro tip: if you connect these regions, take the the train to Paris, spend the night, then take a direct train from there to Milan. (There are no direct flights from Provence’s airports to Milan’s).
My visit to Italy was full of site visits for our upcoming trip the Milan and the Italian Lakes. In Milan, I scouted several great museums and found a fabulous spot for dinner. I had scouted Lake Como, over the summer and this time I was based in Stresa, on Lake Maggiore. As an art historian, I always relish the opportunity to visit a Renaissance Italian villa. I cannot wait to share the ones I found with travelers on our trip!
On the way to the airport, I had time to revisit on of my favorite hill towns in Italy: Bergamo. Bergamo (both pictures above) is a gem of Renaissance art and architecture and we can’t wait to include it on our next trip to Italy.