Like a painting stirred to life by summer wind, Provence is where the simplest of landscapes—poppies dancing in a field outside Roussillon—can turn suddenly sublime. No wonder artists are drawn to this corner of southern France, and why everyone from Roman emperors to movie stars has wanted to claim a piece of it. But as much as it gives up to those just passing through, Provence reserves its sweetest self for those who call it home.

—From "Essence of Provence," September 1995, National Geographic magazine