The best time to visit Provence, I always advise when asked, is in the spring before the scorching heat and summer crowds.

I have been spending time in the south of France since the early 1990s. Provence was fashionable in those days. Peter Mayle’s massively successful book, A Year in Provence, inspired thousands to pull up stakes and move to southern France to emulate his idyllic life in the Luberon hills. Some settled farther west in the Dordogne, famously called “Dordogneshire” for its concentration of British expats. Mayle became a one-man publishing industry, following up with sequels including Toujours Provence and Encore Provence.

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Thirty years ago, I stayed with friends who owned a renovated farmhouse with a spectacular view of the Dentelles de Montmirail. I returned frequently, renting charming villas overlooking lavender fields in full bloom. Like most visitors to the region, I immediately surrendered to Provence’s exquisite charms: the slow mornings, the pulsing music of cicadas, the open-air markets selling pungent cheeses, plump Carpentras strawberries, wild thyme, olive oil, lavender honey and robust wines from Vacqueyras, Gigondas and Beaumes-de-Venise. I promised myself: one day, I will buy property here.

Today, I’m not so sure.........

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