Provence, Nice

In its customs, especially cooking, Provence resembles Italy, its eastern neighbor. The coastal region from the Rhone to the Alps was the most important Roman provincia (hence its name) outside of Italy from the second century B.C. During much of the fourteenth century the popes were in “Babylonian captivity” at Avignon, now a great center for the distribution of Rhone wines. Petrarch, the contemporary poet, wrote that “the princes of the church value the wine of Provence.” This is hardly surprising, since they had close at hand the distinguished vintages of the Côtes du Rhone. In addition to these there are today other local wines of the Côtes de Provence. They are grown north of the coastal mountains, the whites by far surpassing the reds and rosés. One of the most popular red wines of the region, the Châteauneuf-du-Pape, recalls in its name the period when the popes enjoyed “protective custody” in one of the finest food and wine regions of France.