Summer 2019 in Provence, France
Bonjour!
You will be living in Provence not as a tourist, but as a local, as you attend the spectacular summer festivals of Avignon and Aix-en-Provence, visit Van Gogh’s city of Arles, and shop at colorful open-air markets. You will visit the Camargue nature preserve and sun bathe along the beaches and shores of the azure Mediterranean. At the end of the day, you can linger at an open-air café or venture home to discuss the events of the day with new friends.
Your stay in Provence finds you at a fully equipped country estate with outdoor swimming pool. Our French teachers and staff will personally introduce you to France, its language, culture, history and art. Living in a truly international environment with students from all over the world, you will develop skills which will prepare you for life in the global marketplace of the 21st Century, where national borders and language cease to separate one people from another and where knowledge and understanding are the international currency.
DAILY SCHEDULE
8:00 – 9:00 Morning Yoga or Running (optional)
9:00 – 10:00 Breakfast
10:00 – 11:30 French Language Classes
11:30 – 12:30 Cultural Enrichment Classes
12:30 – 13:00 Break / Free Time / Journal
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch
14:30 – 19:00 Excursions/Arts Workshops/Free Time
19:00 – 20:00 Dinner
20:00 – 23:00 Evening Activities
Midnight – Lights Out
We reserve our longer trips, such as our excursions to the Camargue Nature Reserve, for a full day. A full day excursion will begin after an early breakfast and end in the evening: We will not stay overnight on any of these excursions.
The dates of the 2019 Summer Program in Provence are: June 29 – July 27.
“I just wanted to thank you for providing the girls with such an incredible summer. They absolutely loved Provence and loved the Program. It was the best summer they’ve ever had. What an enriching experience! The pictures were beautiful and next summer we want to travel there with them – they can’t say enough about how beautiful the entire trip was.” - Simone Spiegel, Boca Raton, Florida
Price: 7,995 $ Apply NowExcursions
Summer excursion in France!
You will be taking excursions to explore and enjoy the natural beauty, history, culture and art of Provence. Accompanied by your French teachers, you will have the opportunity to immediately apply what you learn in class as you explore ancient Roman ruins, medieval castles, cathedrals, museums, and monuments, with a personalized understanding of their significance and place in history. You will visit the lively cities, villages, festivals, cafes, beaches, nature preserves, vineyards, fields, and open air markets that have made this region a world center for art, tourism, commerce, and cuisine since the Romans first visited over 2000 years ago. These excursions may include:
Aix-en-Provence
Known as the city of a thousand fountains, Aix-en-Provence, (pronounced “X”), our home base, has been a center for learning and art since the 12th Century. It is the largest university center in France outside of Paris with specialized schools in law, political science and fine art. The father of modern art, Paul Cezanne, was born here in 1839, and his artist’s studio remains preserved as it was when he died in 1906. We will enjoy the internationally renowned, summer music and art festivals of the city, visit the Musee Granet, spend time in the open-air markets, sit at the famous cafes made more famous by Peter Mayle’s “A Year in Provence”, and wander through the ancient winding streets that are home to some of the most charming shops and galleries in all of France.
Les Baux-de-Provence
Les Baux is a medieval citadel built into a mountain, haunted by ghosts and goblins according to legend. Les Baux has been completely restored, its winding streets and stone fortresses now home to charming shops and cafes. At les Baux, you will visit the Cathedral des Images, a bauxite mine converted into a monumental multi media presentation center.
“The trip to the Cathedral of Images was the most magnificent thing I have ever seen, possibly in my whole entire life. It opened many doors in my mind.”
– Erica Bluestone, Morristown, NJ
Gordes and the Abbaye de Senaque
Seen from a distance, Gordes seems an impossible suspension of houses built directly into the cliffs, rising to the center of town. Today, a well-known artist haven and colony, you will visit many of its wonderful art and photo galleries. Just outside of Gordes lies the Village des Bories, a group of hut-like stone edifices originally dating back to Neolithic times. Also in the vicinity, the 11th Century Abbaye de Senaque makes an unforgettable impression, rising without warning from the magnificent lavender fields that dominate the valley.
Arles
Arles, situated at the mouth of the Rhone River, is the ancient capital of Provence, the historic crossroads of southern Europe, blending many cultures and traditions. Roman remains date back to the 1st Century, including an amphitheater and coliseum, which still maintain their links to the past by hosting bullfights and special celebrations. The artist Vincent van Gogh spent much of his creative life in Arles, and the city maintains several centers dedicated to his work. Moreover, you will sit at the Place du Forum’s Café van Gogh, preserved exactly as the artist painted it. Arles in July is also home to the world’s oldest and most prestigious photography festival, at which you will have the opportunity to experience work by the best of the world’s photographers.
The Camargue
The Camargue is a wetlands nature preserve on the Rhone Delta and home to a breed of white Arabian-type horses, which still run free on the beaches. The Camargue is also a bird sanctuary for flocks of wild pink flamingos. Horseback riding, traveling in an open air jeep, or bicycling bring you up close to the wild populations that make the Camargue’s wetlands and beaches truly unique. Many students consider this to be one of the highlights of their stay in Provence.
Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer
Les Sts. Maries de la Mer is located on an island where the Petit Rhone joins the Mediterranean. The town is named after the three saints: Mary Magdalene, Mary Salome, and Mary Jacobe who, according to belief, were set adrift in a boat after witnessing the resurrection of Christ, and landed here. Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is now a charming sea-side Mediterranean town and a pilgrimage destination for Roma (Gypsies) who gather here yearly for a festival in honor of their patron saint, Sara.
Avignon
Avignon is a medieval fortified city whose architecture is marked by the papal presence there in the 14th century. Now a UNESCO world heritage site, Avignon is home to the largest and most respected summer theater festival in the world. The Avignon theatre festival runs throughout the month of July and includes everything from Shakespeare to street theater; and music from Bach to hip-hop. You will visit the Place de l’Horloge or the Chemin de Ronde which will take you to the Rocher des Doms. From the top of the ramparts you will experience the city’s breath-taking views and understand why the site was chosen for a fort: Avignon stands high above the immense plains of the Rhône River and is the strategic point of the whole valley.
Rousillon
Rousillon’s landscape is naturally colored with 17 different shades of ocher, from golden yellow to blood red, as if carefully blended on an artist’s palette. Students will journey along the vibrant Sentier des Ocres (Ocher Trail) passing through cavernous old mines and quarries of Rousillon’s famous historical mining industry. Students can explore an intricate network of trails winding through the fantastic hills and towering red pillars of this unique village, often referred to as the Colorado of France.
Accommodations
Your stay in Provence finds you at a fully equipped French country estate with outdoor swimming pool. Our facilities are close to Apt, in the village of Rustrel (the Colorado of France) in the the magnificent Luberon Valley!
Housing
Students are housed in rooms within the compound. Towels and sheets are provided and laundered once a week.
“It was a really good experience to live like a family with people from all over the world and have close contact with all of them. I could confirm that everybody, without any exception, has something wonderful to teach. And in this point, I broke a barrier that existed in my mind that separated people because of different cultures.”
Julia Rettman, Sao Paolo, Brazil
Meals
Our French chef stays with us on site and provides three meals per day. On excursions, we typically pack a lunch or dinner to take along.
Travel Documents
PASSPORTS
All locations for our programs require that students have a passport. To obtain a passport for the first time, you need to go in person to one of 7,000 passport acceptance facilities located throughout the United States with two photographs of yourself, proof of U.S. citizenship, and a valid form of photo identification such as a driver's license.
VISAS
While each country has its own specific requirements, issuance of a student visa generally requires verification of enrollment in a foreign institution of learning, a financial statement guaranteeing the student will have access to adequate funds during their stay, and other forms or documents required by the consulate.
In accordance with French law all students studying in France for MORE than 90 days are required to obtain a student visa. It is no longer necessary for US students studying for LESS than 90 days to obtain a visa. Our office will guide students through this process and direct them to the appropriate consular office. However, it is the responsibility of each individual student to obtain necessary visas.
Obtaining a student visa may be a timely process therefore the application should be started as early as possible. Upon acceptance into the programs, each student should immediately print the Student Visa Application Guidelines and the Consulate Visa Application. Study Abroad Europe cannot intervene for students who do not acquire appropriate passports or visas
Non US Citizens and students not residing in the US should contact their nearest Italian Consulate and follow their directions for obtaining a student visa. Students may request the necessary documents from our office.
For visa information relating to your specific study abroad location, please refer to the required readings in your Study Abroad Europe account (you must have started an application)
OTHER INFORMATION
Getting the proper documents for travelling abroad is essential. Below are links from the US State Department website: