Exploring Provence’s vast, rugged sprawl can be exhilarating — and daunting. From the salt marshes of the Camargue to storybook hilltop villages like Gordes to the lively Mediterranean city of Marseille, the famously picturesque French region offers an array of landscapes and experiences that could take months to uncover. Where to start? Arles and Avignon. Just 20 minutes apart by train, the Roman-era town of Arles and the medieval walled city of Avignon enfold a dense mix of architectural beauty, world-class art, sun-soaked Proven gastronomy and Unesco World Heritage sites. Toss in ambitious new cultural spaces, a hint of urban cool and a high-speed rail link with Paris (about three hours away), and the result is a southern French smorgasbord that can be devoured in a weekend.

探索普罗旺斯地区高低不平的广袤疆域，是令人兴奋的事情，但同时也令人生畏。从卡马格(Camargue)的盐沼地，到戈尔德石头村(Gordes)童话般的山顶村庄，再到充满活力的地中海城市马赛，这片素以风景如画闻名的法国地区，为游客带来了目不暇给的景观与感受，足以让游客花上几个月的时间去发掘。该从哪里开始好呢？我们推荐阿尔勒(Arles)和阿维尼翁(Avignon)。建于罗马时期的小镇阿尔勒与中世纪城墙环绕下的城都阿维尼翁之间相距不远，乘坐火车仅需20分钟便可抵达，两地均集结了大量的壮丽建筑、顶级艺术、沐浴在阳光中的普罗旺斯美食和联合国教科文组织世界遗产。将野心勃勃的新建文化空间，几分都市的酷意和连通巴黎的高铁（车程约三小时）尽数抛诸身后，便可在一个愉快的周末，惬意地享用一道由法国南部呈献的文化混搭自助餐。

Friday

星期五

1. Art of Arles | 4 p.m.

1.阿尔勒的艺术：下午4:00

Vincent van Gogh created more than 300 works during his 15 months in Arles, in 1888 and 1889. Alas, not one van Gogh canvas remains in Arles, not even at the splashy new Fondation Vincent van Gogh, which organizes van Gogh-related exhibitions by contemporary artists. Practically his only trace resides in the Musée Réattu, a castlelike 15th-century edifice containing an 1889 letter he wrote to his friend Paul Gauguin. In a tiny scrawl, he praises Wagner, bemoans the prose of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and laments his psychological state. The museum also has drawings by Picasso, sketches by the fashion designer Christian Lacroix (an Arles native) and photographs by everyone from Brassa to Berenice Abbott. Admission, 8 euros, or $8.66 at $1.08 to the euro.

文森特·梵高(Vincent van Gogh)曾在1888年至1889年间，在阿尔勒逗留了15个月，其间创作了300多幅作品。可惜的是，梵高的这些画作中，却没有一幅留在阿尔勒，就连专以组织当代艺术家举办梵高相关艺术展著称的新建机构梵高基金会(Fondation Vincent van Gogh)里也没有。实际上，他在这里的仅存踪迹出现在雷阿蒂博物馆(Musée Réattu)，一栋建于15世纪的城堡式大型建筑，里面保存着他在1889年写给朋友保罗·高更(Paul Gauguin)的一份信。他用一手潦草的蝇头小字，赞赏瓦格纳(Wagner)，惋惜《汤姆叔叔的小屋》(Uncle Tom’s Cabin)的乏味文字，哀悼自己的心理状态。馆内还有毕加索的画作，时尚设计师克里斯汀·拉克鲁瓦(Christian Lacroix)的速写，以及包括布拉塞(Brassa)、贝伦尼斯·阿博特(Berenice Abbott)在内的摄影大师的作品。门票：8欧元，按1.08美元兑换1欧元计算，约合8.66美元。

2. Roman Roamings | 5:30 p.m.

2.罗马闲步：下午5:30

They came, they saw, they erected an entertainment complex. Dating to the first century A.D., the grand Roman arena, les Arènes, once packed in some 20,000 spectators during gladiator battles with exotic beasts — and with one another. Maintaining the tradition of men fighting animals, the arena hosts summer bullfights. Next door, the ruins of the colonnaded theater are a pleasant spot to wander or watch a concert. Admission for both sites is 8 euros.

他们来了，他们看到了，他们建了一座娱乐中心。古罗马大竞技场的历史可追溯到公元一世纪，曾可容纳两万名观众观看角斗士与异域野兽的对战——还有角斗士之间的对战。这座竞技场保留了人兽对战的传统项目，每年夏季都会举办斗牛比赛。隔壁就是这间廊柱式建筑的遗址，无论信步闲逛还是观赏音乐会，都是一处令人愉悦的去处。门票：包含以上两处景点，8欧元。

3. Aim for the Middle | 8 p.m.

3.探索中部地区：晚上8:00

Inside Le Galoubet, which evokes both the Middle Ages (stone walls, beamed ceilings, massive hearth) and the mid 20th century (industrial lamps, red neon sign), an upper-crust crowd dines on traditional French cuisine that is far from middling. The three-course menu (31 euros) might start with crunchy local vegetables and cervelle de canut (a zesty cheese spread) or a soft-boiled egg atop a colorful arrangement of soft-cooked red peppers, eggplant and ham slices. Mains might include hanger steak with mushrooms or veal in tangy wine-mustard sauce. For dessert, the cake enveloped in a chocolate shell with sour cherry sorbet on top is a rich, dark, citric delight.

Le Galoubet餐厅教人同时想到中世纪（石墙、横梁天花板、大型壁炉）和20世纪中叶（工业用吊灯、红色霓虹灯)，这里是一群上流人士享用传统法式料理的地方，远非二流水平可比。这里的三道菜套餐（31欧元）的头盘，可能会是一道清脆的本地蔬菜配丝工脑（cervelle de canut，一种风味芝士酱），或是一只溏心蛋，放在一盘五颜六色精彩摆盘的半熟红椒、茄子和火腿片上。主菜可以是烤腹肉牛排配蘑菇，或者是小牛肉淋上味道浓郁的红酒芥末酱。甜品方面，浇上酸莓雪芭的巧克力脆皮蛋糕是一道口感饱满厚重的柠檬风味美食。

4. Starry Nightcap | 10 p.m.

4.星光下的睡前酒：晚上10:00

A nocturnal walk quickly becomes an art history lesson. Heading west from Place Lamartine, you arrive at the riverside spot where van Gogh painted “Cafe Terrace at Night.” Strolling the east side of Place du Forum, you might recognize the scene from “The Night Café,” marked by a signboard. For drinks, avoid the square’s tourist traps and instead go around the corner to Baràvin, a cheerful wine bar, for a glass of medium-bodied local Mont-Redon red (4.50 euros).

夜间漫步很快变成了一堂生动的艺术史课程。从拉马丁广场(Place Lamartine)出发往西走，便会抵达梵高当年画出《夜晚露天咖啡座》(Cafe Terrace at Night)的那处河滨。在集会广场(Place du Forum)的东边闲逛，说不定能认出《夜间咖啡馆》(The Night Café)中的画面，那里也有一块标识牌。酒水方面，不妨避开广场上专坑游客的黑店，到角落位置的Baràvin看看，这是一间气氛欢快的红酒吧，可以品尝一杯当地的黑洞山酒庄( Mont-Redon)酿造的中等酒体红葡萄酒（4.50欧元）。

Saturday

星期六

5. Pope Art | 11 a.m.

5.教皇艺术：上午11:00

It’s good to be pope. If you happened to be one of those who lived in Avignon during the religious turmoil of the 14th century (when the papacy abandoned Rome), you would have presided over an immense Gothic palace filled with soaring banquet halls, huge vaulted chapels and lush gardens populated with peacocks, camels and other exotic fauna. These areas and more are viewable in the Palais des Papes, whose smaller rooms are equally impressive. The papal bedroom is painted with cosmic swirls of vegetative motifs, while the study is covered by mystical frescoes of a nocturnal stag hunt in a forest inhabited by a dragon and unicorn. Admission, 11 euros.

当教皇挺不错的。如果你有缘成为14世纪宗教纷争时期（教廷弃罗马而去）住在阿维尼翁的某位教皇，你将会掌管着一座壮观的哥特式宫殿，里面有高耸的宴会厅，巨大的穹顶教堂，还有郁郁葱葱的花园，养着孔雀、骆驼和其他来自不同国家的动物。这些地方以及其他的一些风景，均可从这座教皇宫(Palais des Papes)内一览无遗，而宫内那些面积没有那么大的房间，让人惊艳的程度与那些地方相比也不遑多让。教皇卧室内绘满了植物符号构成的漩涡图案，书房的墙面上则是些神秘的壁画，描绘了在一座住着龙和独角兽的森林里展开夜间猎鹿活动的画面。门票：11欧元。

6. Lush Lunch | 1:30 p.m.

6.丰盛午餐：下午1:30

Seeking a light lunch? Seek elsewhere. At L’Epicerie — decorated like a 1950s French grocery store — richness rules the Franco-Mediterranean-North-African menu. Foie gras terrine is sweetened with mango and cinnamon, while scallops are loaded into a dense leek mille-feuille. If veal tagine with couscous doesn’t sound sufficiently bloat-inducing, the robust pink duck meat comes with hearty potato gratin. Raspberry cheesecake and a spongy French toast in warm caramel sauce guarantee blissful post-meal immobility. A three-course lunch for two is about 75 euros.

想来一顿轻午餐？还是去其他地方找吧。在装潢仿若50年代法式杂货店的餐厅L’Epicerie，汇集了多种法国、地中海与北非菜式的菜单，主打的就是“丰盛”二字。鹅肝酱用芒果和肉桂增加了甜味，厚味韭菜千层派的内部则填装着扇贝。如果小牛肉炖锅配蒸粗麦粉听上去还不够教你胃口大开，这里还有香喷喷的嫩鸭肉配上丰盛的土豆焗菜。覆盆子芝士蛋糕和松软的法式吐司浇温焦糖，定能让你在餐后满足得动都不想动。两人份的三道菜午餐，价格约为75欧元。

7. Books, Pillows and Bowties | 3 p.m.

7. 书、枕头与领结：下午3:00

Whether you’re desperate for a skateboard-shaped chopping board or just a coffee-table book about, say, breasts, People’s Paradise provides. One of several hip fashion and design shops near Place St.-Didier, the lifestyle emporium outfits you for summer with ultralight, hand-dyed T-shirts (30 euros) from the Proven brand Red Soul, and red rolled-up shorts (59 euros) by Elevenparis. Kooky and colorful, the namesake shop of Isabelle Erizé sells her lacy, tasseled Baroque-style handbags (25 euros) and cushions mixing stripes and leopard print (27 euros). CQFD boutique, dedicated to indie French brands, adds wooden sunglasses (160 to 190 euros) from Shelter and wooden bow ties (65 to 70 euros) by Bowtify.

不管你急切渴望的是一块滑雪板状的菜板，还是一本谈论胸部的茶几书，People’s Paradise都能满足你。这家大型生活方式百货商场，是圣迪迪埃广场(Place Saint-Didier)附近的几家嘻哈时尚设计店的其中一间，在夏季向顾客出售普罗旺斯本地品牌Red Soul的超轻薄手染T恤（30欧元），还有Elevenparis的红色卷腿短裤。伊莎贝尔·埃利泽(Erizé de Souza)以自己名字命名的商店设计古怪，色彩艳丽，专售由她设计的巴洛克手袋（25欧元）和靠垫，前者缀满蕾丝与流苏，后者则饰以混杂着条纹与豹纹的印花图案（27欧元）。CQFD精品店专售法国的独立品牌，为顾客带来Shelter的木制太阳镜（160～190欧元）和Bowtify的木制领结（65～70欧元）。

8. Vincent, Finally | 5 p.m.

8.千呼万唤文森特：下午5:00

A rare treasure hides in the little Musée Angladon: one of the few van Gogh paintings in Provence. Blazing with color — mint green sky, orange-pink grass and fuzzy blue-red railroad cars — “Wagons de Chemin de Fer,” painted in Arles in 1888, shows the depressive Dutchman in full visionary mode. The same room includes early Picasso gouaches, Cezanne’s geometric, hard-edge still life “Nature Morte au Pot de Grès”, and works by Modigliani, Degas and Vuillard. Admission, 6.50 euros.

在小小的安格拉东博物馆(Musée Angladon)里，隐藏着一样珍贵的宝藏：普罗旺斯仅存的几幅梵高画作中的一幅。薄荷绿色的天空，桔粉色的草丛，朦胧的蓝红色火车车厢——《铁轨上的火车》(Wagons de Chemin de Fer)所用的色彩令人目不暇给，梵高于1988年在阿尔勒创作了这幅油画，用一种纯粹出于假想的形式，描绘了处于压抑气氛下的荷兰。就在同一间藏室内，还收藏着毕加索早期的水粉画，塞尚强调几何构图、线条硬朗的静物画《静物与灰色的罐子》，以及莫迪利亚尼(Modigliani)、德加(Degas)和维亚尔(Vuillard)的作品。门票：6.50欧元。

9. Mind L’Agape | 7:30 p.m.

9.思想盛宴：晚上7:30

Opened last year, L’Agape — pronounced “lah-GAHP” (the word means a fraternal meal in French) contains stylish vintage industrial décor to accommodate the stylish all-ages crowd. Appetizers and desserts are the standouts, notably the veal tartare starter (served with runny warm egg, girolle mushrooms and blue vitelotte potato chips for a textural mash-up) and the chilled nougat finisher (drenched in honey mousse and studded with radiant citrus-loaded orange and grapefruit slices). Mains, from roast lamb saddle with fried zucchini to pollock fillet in an olive crust, are slightly less flavorful but solid. Three-course menus at 32 and 45 euros a person.

于去年开业的L’Agape（念作“lah-GAHP”，在法语中为“兄弟聚餐”之意），采用了时尚的复古工业装饰风格，适合招待所有年龄段的人群。开胃菜和甜品是该店的亮点所在，尤为值得一提的就是头一道的鞑靼牛肉（配搭温热的溏心蛋、鸡油菌和蓝紫薯条，达到食材上的混搭）和最后一道的冷冻牛乳糖（上面浇了蜂蜜慕斯，然后摆上了一些柑橘片和西柚片）。主菜既有烤羊脊配炸西葫芦，也有覆满橄榄壳的炸鳕鱼条，口味道稍显不够浓郁，但胜在实在。三道菜套餐人均32～45欧元。

10. Wine and Watermills | 10 p.m.

10.红酒与水磨：晚上10:00

Bourgeois or bohemian? For a chic drink, the sultry interiors of 83.Vernet evoke a Mediterranean villa, thanks to white walls, white curtains, white ceiling, a white floor and white wine (Domaine Chapoutier viognier; 25 euros a bottle). To go casual, stroll the cobbled Rue des Teinturiers. Along a stream with old wooden water mills, the street has a village feel that draws local cool kids, tattooed dads, musicians and alternative types. L’Offset, a sprawling raw concrete space with exposed ducts and factory-style lamps, provides glasses of Villages wine (3.30 euros) and live jazz, blues and French classics.

是小资情调还是波西米亚风？为了打造时尚的饮酒环境，83.Vernet采用了极富魅力的室内设计，白墙、白窗帘、白天花板、白地板，还有白葡萄酒（夏波地酒庄[Domaine Chapoutier]的维欧尼[viognier]，25欧元一瓶），让人想到地中海风格的别墅。若想换个放松休闲一些的地方，不妨到铺着鹅卵石地面的Rue des Teinturiers去逛逛。这条街道沿着一条建有数座古老木制水磨的小溪伸展出去，这里有一种村庄的感觉，吸引了当地的时髦少年、纹身老爹、音乐人和其他类型的人群。L’Offset是一处形状不规则的粗陋水泥建筑，随处可见暴露在外的管道和工厂一般的吊灯，这里为顾客提供杯装的隆河谷村庄级( Villages)红酒（一杯3.30欧元）和爵士、蓝调、法式经典的现场演出。

Sunday

星期日

11. Art Times Two | 11 a.m.

11.艺术复艺术：上午11:00

Reopened in July, the Collection Lambert, a museum of excellent modern and contemporary art, has expanded into the adjacent townhouse, doubling its size. The permanent collection includes sculpture by Sol LeWitt, paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat, photos by Nan Goldin and much besides. The museum is also hosting an inaugural special exhibition (through Oct. 11) about Patrice Chéreau, the late French opera, theater and film director. In addition to Chéreau’s personal effects, sketches and notes, the show intersperses creations by artists who inspired him or relate to his oeuvre, from classic French painters like Delacroix to contemporary international figures like Anselm Kiefer. Admission, 10 euros.

博物馆蓝贝尔艺术馆藏(Collection Lambert)专事收藏顶级的现当代艺术作品，于今年7月重新开业，改建后的面积扩大了一倍，将隔壁的联排别墅也纳入了进来。馆内的永久藏品有索尔·勒维特(Sol LeWitt)的雕塑，让—米切尔·巴斯奎特(Jean-Michel Basquiat)的油画，南·戈尔丁(Nan Goldin)的摄影作品，以及许许多多的其他作品。这间博物馆还在举办一场开业特展（展览至10月11日），主题为帕特里斯·夏洛尔(Patrice Chéreau)，他是法国一位已故的歌剧、戏剧及电影导演。除了夏洛尔的私人用品、速写和笔记外，这场特展还加入了一些受他启发或者与他毕生之作相关的艺术家的创作，既有德拉克罗瓦(Delacroix)这样的古典法国油画家，也有安塞姆·基弗（Anselm Kiefer）这样的现代国际名家。门票：10欧元。

12. Shop and Shuck | 1 p.m.

12.购物与住宿：下午1:00

Nature’s bounty literally sprouts from the walls of Avignon’s covered market, Les Halles, thanks to an exterior “vertical garden.” Inside, Provence’s cornucopia spills from produce stalls, cheese mongers, delis, florists, bakers and butchers. Noteworthy offerings include a variety of salts flavored with everything from fish to hibiscus flower (3 euros for 50 grams) at Le Moulin à Epices and wines at Les 20 des Halles. For lunch, La Cabane d’Oléron serves grilled fresh scallops on skewers (7 euros), fine de claire oysters (six for 8.50 euros) and other marine morsels.

大自然恩惠，真的就是从阿维尼翁的室内商场Les Halles的墙内“萌芽”的——这里有一处室外的“垂直花园”。商场内，普罗旺斯的丰裕之角倾倒出一间间的蔬果店、奶酪小摊、熟食店、花店、面包店和肉店。值得关注的商品有香料磨坊(Le Moulin à Epices)的食用盐，从鱼香到木槿花，各类风味应有尽有（50克3欧元），还有Les 20 des Halles的隆河谷地区红酒。午餐可以去La Cabane d’Oléron，这里供应烤鲜贝串（一串7欧元）、精制龙虾（6只8.50欧元）及其他海产品。

Lodging

住宿

Arles’ du Forum (10, place du Forum; 33-4-90-93-48-95; hotelduforum.com) occupies a historical stone townhouse with a courtyard swimming pool. The 38 rooms are done in floral patterns and country French décor, while the lobby and bar are filled with gramophones, steamer trunks and other retro knickknacks. Doubles in August from 80 euros.

阿尔勒论坛酒店(Arles’ du Forum)（论坛广场10号；33-4-90-93-48-95；hotelduforum.com）位于一栋历史悠久的石制联排别墅内，附带一座院内游泳池。38间客房装饰着花朵图案和法式乡村风格的布置，大堂和酒吧内均摆放着留声机、扁皮箱及其他复古物件。8月份的双人间价格为80欧元起。

In Avignon, Rue du Portail Boquier contains two worthy lodging options. Within an 18th-century edifice, the 12 simple rooms of Hotel Boquier (No. 6; 33-4-90-82-34-43; hotel-boquier.com) sport bright Proven colors. Doubles run 65 to 80 euros from April through October. For a rooftop pool and high-end restaurant, the 80-room L’Hotel Saint-Louis (No. 20; 33-4-90-27-55-55; cloitre-saint-louis.com) occupies a Renaissance-era Jesuit school and a modern addition by Jean Nouvel. Doubles in August start at 112.58 euros.

在阿维尼翁，Rue du Portail Boquier地区有两处物有所值的下榻地可供选择。在一栋建于18世纪的大厦内，酒店(Hotel Boquier)（6号；33-4-90-82-34-43；hotel-boquier.com）的12间简式客房，展现出普罗旺斯的明亮色彩。4月份至8月份的双人间价格为65到80欧元不等。若想享受屋顶游泳池和高端餐厅，不妨前往共有80间客房的酒店L’Hotel Saint-Louis（20号；33-4-90-27-55-55；cloitre-saint-louis.com），这里在文艺复兴时期曾是一间耶稣会学校，在现代又由让·努维尔(Jean Nouvel)进行了加建。8月份的双人间价格为112.58欧元起。