Arles
You know when something traditional puts on a kooky twist and you don’t want to like it but, alas, you love it? Think flakey sea salt and olive oil drizzled over a classic vanilla bean ice cream. Meet the French southern provincial village equivalent, Arles.
While still rooted in the spirit of its artistic predecessors who have resided here — including Van Gogh, Gaugin, Picasso, and Réattu — Arles is in motion, propelled forward by a new generation of free-spirited locals. Arles is nestled between the Camargue wetlands, the National Park of Les Alpilles and populous cities including Nîmes and Montpellier. The city was once an important Phoenician trading port before being taken over by the Romans in 123 BC where it was frequently used as a base for European military campaigns and a center of cultural and religious thought. The heyday of Arles did not end here. The nineteenth century heralded a new golden age of artistic expression for Arles at the hands of Van Gogh who produced over three hundred paintings and drawings during his time in Arles, drawing inspiration from the famous southern light (…before cutting off his left ear and spending time in the Old Hospital of Arles). Fast forward a hundred or so years, the village seems to have never left its belle époque. In recent years, Arles has even hosted a Gucci show on the Promenade des Alyscamps, a tree-lined Roman necropolis lit up with flames and engulfed in smoke, all topped off with a serenade by Elton John. Dare I say Arles has never left its golden age?
Today, Arles is filled with artists — chefs, designers, photographers, painters, and those who simply love life… It attracts people looking for a funky yet thriving small town. At the Place du Forum, the town square, you will encounter stereotypical French men with slick moustaches and faded caps, shopkeepers sitting outside on fold-out chairs while reading the paper and chattering loudly to each other from across the street, and eye-catching posters on nearly every wall. Below, you will find my guide to Arles but, most importantly, pencil in some time to get lost wandering along the Rhône river and cobblestone streets.
Museums
Lee Ufan
After a 2013 exhibition in the Saint-Laurent-Le Capitole chapel, Korean-born artist Lee Ufan fell in love with Arles. In 1956, Ufan went to Japan to study philosophy though he turned to painting as a means of philosophical expression due to his difficulty with the Japanese language. Ufan spearheaded the Mono-ha (“School of Things”) movement which is an exploration of the relationship between natural and industrial materials. Ufan’s work pivots around the “art of encounter” where he criticizes the logocentrism and materialism of modern times. Through this exhibition, Ufan places the viewer in dialogue with what he paints and the blank spaces left which speak equal volumes. Empty space and how it makes the viewer feel are at the core of Ufan’s philosophical and artistic approach. Walking through the Lee Ufan museum is a transcendent experience, forcing the viewer to look upon commonplace objects such as a stone or steel bar with fresh eyes.
LUMA
This museum will not be everyone’s taste (myself included). If you enjoy women chanting in the hallways or silent rooms filled with the sound of a pumping heart, this may be the spot for you. While I’m not sure I understood the artistic approach, I can appreciate that LUMA is living in the spirit of artists who pushed boundaries of their time. Just look to Van Gogh who came to Arles after leaving Paris to break free of the naturalism of Impressionism to create some of his boldest works such as ‘Starry Night.’ LUMA shines a light on artists and photographers doing something out of the ordinary. Swiss art patron, documentary producer, and cultural virtuoso Maja Hoffman is the motor behind LUMA which has undergone many changes since its birth in 2004, most notably the recent conversion of a former railway wasteland operated by SNCF into an art campus with studios and exhibition spaces. LUMA was officially completed in 2021 with the inauguration of “The Tower,” an architectural masterpiece constructed by Frank Gehry to reflect the warm, dancing lights of Provence that have inspired artists for decades.
Vincent Van Gogh Foundation
A sleek building located between the banks of Rhône river and nearby famous bookstore Actes Sud (also worth a visit!), the Fondation Vincent Van Gogh is a must-see.
Musée Réattu
A museum that embodies the spirit of Arles — fusing old world works of Réattu with contemporaries including Irving Penn and Nan Goldin.
Restaurants
Chardon
Chardon provides a space for pop-in chefs to work their craft and match classic French dishes with bold, unexpected flavors. The resident chefs stay between two and eight months so the menu is in constant flux. I was lucky to be hosted by chefs Melle Vogels (Netherlands), Connor Gibson, Ellie Brawn (U.K.) and Emidio Rosso (Italy) who each bring their culinary heritages to the table. The pigeon paired with groseille and charred endive was an explosion of flavor, placing a twist on what can be a tired French classic.
Wine: The wine by the glass list did not fall short, offering respectable choices for all tastes. I love a dry Alsace riesling so I was more than happy with my Domaine Fleith 2020 100% riesling.
Bistrot du Paradou (Outside Arles, in the town of Le Paradou)
For a bistrot on the side of the road with faded blue shutters, Bistrot de Paradou could not be further from the sleepy atmosphere one anticipates. The staff is bubbling with life and cracking jokes with clients. Do not expect to stay anything short of three hours. Since I was here for a solo lunch, I had a lot of “me” time; however, the twenty-foot-long table next to me was packed with young people celebrating an occasion (or maybe just another Saturday?) in all white attire. I thought we were in the lost, sleepy village of Le Paradou! I could write an entire post alone about the cheese course. The most beautiful and delectable plateau de fromage was left at my table for about an hour. I finally had to ask my waiter to take it away as the temptation was too much to bear. The world needs more restaurants like Bistrot du Paradou. Four courses, two options for each, and of course, a plateau de fromage fit for a king — perfection.
Wine: Réserve Mont-Redon Côtes du Rhône 2021. At the beginning of my meal, I ordered a glass of Côtes du Rhône to enjoy with the volaille de Bresse. To my surprise, I was left with a full bottle to myself the entire meal. It lacked a bit of depth and concentration in my opinion but how can I complain.
L’Épicerie du Cloître
I was still recovering from my three hour solo lunch, and so L’Épicerie du Cloître was perfect. A very relaxed wine bar with casual garden tables scattered under a one-hundred-year-old paulownia tree strung with warm lanterns.
Wine: Perhaps I was still recovering from the Côtes du Rhône when I ordered an orange wine. Not my favorite.
Vineyards
Les Baux de Provence, AOP
six communes over 250 hectares of vineyards
at the foot of Les Alpilles, a low mountain range
hot and dry summers, mild winters
touched by the Mistral wine — the "white mistral", which clears the sky and dries out the humidity in the vines, and the "black mistral", which brings rain
soil in the vineyards here is very stony, made up of scree and lithic sandstone, typical of the region
common varietals include Syrah, Mourvèdre, Rolle, Roussane, Grenache, Marsanne, Cinsault
Mas de la Dame
Domaine des Terres Blanches
Domaine de la Vallongue
Culture
Arènes d’Arles — Trophée des As
I happened to be in Arles for “La Finale des Ars,” the bull fight championship. Women dressed in traditional festive garb, men on horseback: Arles does not mess around when it comes to bull fights. Thankfully I sat next to a lovely old woman who was an expert on the ins and outs of bull fighting — and which matadors are the handsomest. To all spectator novices like myself: do not get a front row seat. Don’t worry, there is no blood shed: no bulls are injured in the fight. However, the bulls are extremely annoyed by the matadors running towards them to grab the ribbons tied around their horns and so they jump the barriers, ending up in the first row of the spectator section. Security, where are you?
Marché des Lices
A Saturday market embodying the Mediterranean cultural experience defined by centuries of trade routes between continents. Colombo from La Réunion, Turkish cumin, Hungarian paprikash — you will find yourself in a sea of culture.
Stores
Librairie du Sud
A famous publishing house and bookstore founded in 1978 to be seen in all its glory
Damande
For three nights in a row, I sit here eating my chocolate-covered almonds from Damade. Do not underestimate these chocolates. I stumbled upon Damande thinking I would quickly “pop in.” Joke was on me as I spent a good forty-five minutes in the store meticulously selecting which flavors to get while chatting with the shop owner about how each chocolate flavor in her shop comes from a different producer she knows personally. I even came back the following day to “buy more chocolates for my mom” (aka the chocolates I am currently eating). Must try the passion fruit and orange flavors.
SYS
SYS is a clothing, jewelry, and art shop where designers and artists collectively display their pieces. Just like newspaper hot off the press or bread fresh from the oven, new items arrive in store every day. As soon as I walked in the door, a saleswoman in a violet floral suit and hot pink lipstick told me there was a dress I simply had to try on — a good saleswoman, clearly. It turns out she is also the designer of the dress she insisted I try, having finished it only the night prior. The saleswomen / designer was a former school teacher from Nîmes and had moved to Arles to live her second life as an artist, picking up clothing design as a hobby.
A question that continues to pop into my mind is what keep Arles so vibrant, drawing in creatives from all corners whether that be Lee Ufan from Korea, the Dutch, English, and Italian chefs from Chardon, or the schoolteacher turned designer from Nîmes? While the southern lights reflecting upon Arles are breathtaking, there must be more to it that continues to attract artists and creatives to this provincial town. Though Arles appears to be a classic French town in the south of France, it has piled on countless creative layers over the centuries that inventiveness has become part of its bloodline. Artistry and multiculturalism are embedded in the DNA of Arles, thus creating a space for individuals to express themselves freely as have done centuries of predecessors.