Provence

Provence is one of the most visited tourist destinations in the world. Located in southeastern France, its name was given to it by the ancient Romans when they conquered it and named it the Provincia Romana in 121 BC.

The most attractive part of Provence is its coastal part, above all the French Riviera, known as the Côte d'Azur, which is synonymous with casual lifestyles, high tourism and the meeting place of the world's jet set. It is home to Menton - the city of lemons, Grasse - the city of perfumes, Cannes and Sanit-Tropez - the cities of film and Nice - the capital of the Cote d'Azur and an important tourist center.

Only fifteen kilometers from the Italian border is the Principality of Monaco, which has been ruled by the Grimaldi family since the 13th century. Monaco became famous thanks to the motoring Grand Prix, Hollywood actress Grace Kelly-spouse of Prince Rainier III and the Casino de Monte-Carlo, built by Prince Charles III in the eighteen-sixties.

Painters who left a significant mark in the fine arts lived and worked in Provence - the founder of Cubism, Pablo Picasso, lived in Antibes in the 40s and 50s of the 20th century. Marc Chagall lived in the mountain village of Saint-Paul-de-Vence for over twenty years and Henri Matisse lived in Nice. Vincent van Gogh came to Arles in 1888, and there began his Mediterranean artistic period characterized by paintings of sunflowers, cypresses, olive trees and the famous Starry Night.

In the 11th century, troubadour poetry appeared in the region of Provence, written in the native Occitan language. In the middle of the 14th century, troubadour lyrics disappeared, and the Occitan language fell into oblivion. The Provençal poet and philologist Frédéric Mistral was responsible for its restoration and his work was awarded the Nobel Prize for Philology and Literature in 1904. Marcel Pagnol is one more notable writer. Although he did not write in the Provençal language, he wrote plays, novels inspired by his childhood in Provence and directed a number of films. Several of his novels have been translated into Croatian.