Old Haunts (not a Halloween post)

Our very first spot for “roughing it” in our Peugeot Partner, aka micro camping car, came with a handy photo frame

a swarm of busy lady bugs, a herb garden, a 360° view of autumnal Piemont

and 9 hours of surprisingly comfortable rest.

Asti, Alba and co. still offer the savoury charms of Fall’s abundance. Prices have definitely jumped to new levels though, since our last visit in 2010. You might need to figure as much as 100 Euros per person per day (!) to eat and sleep well, and for a couple of good bottles of Nebbiolo to take home. (Stately Barolos or Barbarescos will set you back a lot more…). Happily, we still found the no-nonsense village bars with perfect cappuccinos and homemade melt in your mouth torte di mele and torte di nocciole.
And there are more delights

on the road that crosses the Alpi Marittime, from sometimes weary Italy

to the to the snappy, crisp air of La Grande Nation.
In honour of the occasion, I wear Chanel Nr 5- and almost all the clothes I own- as an icy wind whirls us down from the crystalline heights of le Lac de Serre Poncon

to the mistral swept streets of another old family haunt: Vaison la Romaine.
Here, solid clear light illuminates the most mundane scenes as if from the inside. It must be this glow that has been inspiring artists in the Provence for centuries…

We watch the wind swirl fallen leaves into big neat piles and shiver in unison

The cold has us in its clutches

and we’re forced to admit that we left this road trip far too late. Seems like we’ll be moving south much quicker than planned…..
Next stop: Pezenas, another favorite place of bygone years.