Provence & the French Riviera: Recommended Books and Movies

By Rick Steves and Steve Smith

To learn more about France past and present, and specifically Provence and the French Riviera, check out a few of these books and films. (And see our similar lists for elsewhere in Europe.)

Books: Nonfiction

A to Z of French Food, a French to English Dictionary of Culinary Terms (G. de Temmerman, 1995). This is the most complete (and priciest) menu reader around — and it's beloved by foodies.
At Home in France (Ann Barry, 1996). An American author describes her visits to her country house.
The Course of French History (Pierre Goubert, 1988). Goubert provides a basic summary of French history.
A Distant Mirror (Barbara Tuchman, 1987). Respected historian Barbara Tuchman paints a portrait of 14th-century France.
French or Foe? (Polly Platt, 1994). This best seller, along with its follow-up, Savoir-Flair!, is an essential aid for interacting with the French and navigating the intricacies of their culture.
A Goose in Toulouse and other Culinary Adventures in France (Mort Rosenblum, 2000). This series of essays provides keen insights on rural France through its focus on cuisine.
La Seduction: How the French Play the Game of Life (Elaine Sciolino, 2011). Sciolino, former Paris bureau chief of the New York Times, gives travelers a fun, insightful, and tantalizing peek into how seduction is used in all aspects of French life — from small villages to the halls of national government.
Portraits of France (Robert Daley, 1991). Part memoir, part travelogue, this is a charming reminiscence of the writer's lifelong relationship with France, including marrying a French girl on his first trip there.
Postcards from France (Megan McNeill Libby, 1997). This perceptive account tells the adventures of an American exchange student adjusting to life in France.
The Road from the Past: Traveling Through History in France (Ina Caro, 1994). Caro's enjoyable travel essays take you on a chronological journey through France's historical sights.
Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong (Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow, 2003). This is a must-read for anyone serious about understanding French culture, contemporary politics, and what makes the French tick.
Travelers Tales: Paris and Travelers' Tales: France (edited by James O'Reilly, Larry Habegger, and Sean O'Reilly, 2002). Notable writers explore Parisian and French culture.
Two Towns in Provence (M. F. K. Fisher, 1964). Aix-en-Provence and Marseille are the subjects of these two stories by the celebrated American food writer. She also writes about her life in France in Long Ago in France: The Years in Dijon (1929).
A Year in Provence and Toujours Provence (Peter Mayle, 1989/1991). Mayle's memoirs include humorous anecdotes about restoring and living in a 200-year-old farmhouse in a remote area of the Lubéron.
The Yellow House: Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Arles (Martin Gayford, 2006). This historical account vividly chronicles Van Gogh and Gauguin's tumultuous stay in Arles.

Books: Fiction

The Fly-Truffler (Gustaf Sobin, 1999). After the death of his young wife, a Provençal man stays in touch with her spirit through intimate dream visions.
Hotel Pastis (Peter Mayle, 1993). Mayle, whose nonfiction books are recommended earlier, also writes fiction set in Provence, including this book and A Good Year.
Joy of Man's Desiring (Jean Giono, 1935). Giano captures the charm of rural France. (The author also wrote the Johnny Appleseed eco-fable set in Provence, The Man Who Planted Trees.)

Films

The Chorus (2004). Filled with angelic choir music, this touching film tells the story of a schoolteacher and the boys he brings together.
Cyrano de Bergerac (1990). A homely, romantic poet woos his love with the help of another, better-looking man (look for scenes filmed at the Abbaye de Fontenay).
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988). Steve Martin and Michael Caine star in this hilarious flick, filmed in and around Villefranche-sur-Mer.
French Kiss (1995). This romantic comedy includes scenes in the French countryside and Cannes, as well as Paris.
A Good Year (2006). This British-American romantic comedy, starring Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard, is loosely based on the novel by Peter Mayle and filmed at a Luberon winery recommended in this book.
The Horseman on the Roof (1995). The beautiful Juliette Binoche seeks her missing husband in this romance-drama set in 1830's southern France.
Jean de Florette (1986). This marvelous tale of greed and intolerance follows a hunchback as he fights for the property he inherited in rural France. Its sequel, Manon of the Spring (1986), continues with his daughter's story.
My Father's Glory and My Mother's Castle (1991). These companion films, based on the memoirs of writer/filmmaker Marcel Pagnol, show his early life in Provence.
The Return of Martin Guerre (1982). A man returns to his village in southwestern France from the Hundred Years' War — but is he really who he claims to be?
Ronin (1998). Robert De Niro stars in this crime caper, which includes a car chase through Paris and scenes filmed in Nice, Villefranche-sur-Mer, and Arles.
To Catch a Thief (1955). Alfred Hitchcock's thriller showcases both the French Riviera and crackling performances by Grace Kelly and Cary Grant.

Steve Smith is the co-author of the Rick Steves Provence & the French Riviera guidebook.