Postcards From Provence with Leonora Hamill
The places we return to often tell us as much as the wardrobes we cherish. In this new editorial series, members of the ReSee community share the destinations they know best—the addresses they return to, the rituals they never miss and the places they recommend only to friends.
For this postcard, we explore Provence through the eyes of Leonora Hamill. The London-based interior designer and fine-art photographer, known for her artful mix of periods, patterns, and collected treasures, shares her favorite addresses across the South of France.
Provence, with Leonora Hamill
My family has had a house there for decades, and we go all year round. I have so many memories of the lavender and the crickets, and it is a perfect place to go antiquing from. I visit the flea markets in the region religiously and find such pretty things. Arles is nearby and has a really good photography festival in the summer, which I have been going to for thirty years. I used to be a fine-art photographer, and my book Art in Progress was published by the Arlesian publishing house Actes Sud.
@chateaudesalpilles
Where to stay
A few places I recommend staying are Le Château des Alpilles in Saint-Rémy, La Mirande in Avignon, L’Hôtel Particulier in Arles, and Capelongue in Bonnieux.
@lerelaisducastelet
Where to Eat
My favorite places to eat are Le Relais du Castelet in Fontvieille, Chez Paulette in Eygalières, Chez Edù in Saint-Rémy, and Le Bistrot du Paradou in Paradou.
@jeanne.bayol
Where to Shop
La Boutique de Jeanne in Saint-Rémy—Jeanne Bayol has an amazing eye and sources clothes and homeware from India and further afield. She also designs her own collection. I have a beautiful brown wool coat with panels of needlepoint tapestry, and I always buy costume jewelry there.
AFC (Ateliers Français de Confection) in Saint-Rémy—a collection of pieces made with beautiful woven fabrics in Marseille.
Maison Pérenne in Uzès—upcycled vintage textiles. My favourite piece is a top made from an embroidered tablecloth I bought in Essaouira.
@saintpauldemausole
What to See
The archaeological site of Glanum in Saint-Rémy, which includes a stunning Roman triumphal arch and the Mausoleum of the Julii, one of the best-preserved funerary monuments in the entire Roman Empire. These were so famous that they were even visited by Louis XIV during his travels in Provence.
The Saint-Paul-de-Mausole monastery in Saint-Rémy, which is a masterpiece of Romanesque art and is also part of the psychiatric complex where Van Gogh was interned. It is still a working psychiatric hospital, but you can visit the painter’s room, which is really moving.
The Louise Bourgeois Chapel in the Couvent d’Ô in Bonnieux—specially commissioned sculptures by Louise Bourgeois for a little twelfth-century Franciscan chapel. It will blow your mind.
What Leonora's Packing
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