Episode 13: Discovering the South of France’s Secret (and Affordable) Celebrity Village

The International Living Podcast

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In this week’s podcast, host, Jim Santos speaks to International Living France Correspondent Tuula Rampont, who transplanted her life from Southern California to Southern France back in 2010.
For Tuula, France came as a surprise. In fact, she originally thought that she wanted to move to Italy. Lazy stereotypes of French people as snooty, arrogant, and cold put her off the idea of even visiting the country. As it turns out, when she did finally visit, she realized just how wrong her preconceptions were—France was wonderful, the people were charming, and she couldn’t wait to move there.
Making up for lost time, Tuula now lives and works in Toulon, a port city on France’s Mediterranean coast, where the temperatures rarely drop below 60 F, even in the depths of winter, and where fine food, wine, and culture are an everyday routine. What’s more, she spends her free time exploring everything this privileged corner of Europe has to offer.
The village of Cotignac, a remarkably well-heeled hill-town in the foothills of the Provence Alps, is her most prized discovery. Loved by expats, discreet celebrities, and foodies, Cotignac brings the best aspects of the French Riviera into a quiet, affordable package—one which hasn’t yet hit the mainstream.
Learn all about this undiscovered French gem in the latest episode of International Living’s Bigger Better World podcast.
Learn more about Jen and her family in the July issue of IL magazine: Kindred Spirits and Understated Luxury in Cotignac, France
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Music: Royalty Free Music From timtaj.com.

Chapter

1. Episode 13: Discovering the South of France’s Secret (and Affordable) Celebrity Village (00:00:00)

2. “I wasn’t sold on France at first but…it was the best food I’d ever had” (00:03:30)

3. “Things in California were so expensive, I wasn’t sure how I would afford a place” (00:05:20)

4. How getting a second passport made things much easier in Europe (00:06:55)

5. “Down-to-earth, kind, generous” Learning what the French are really like (00:09:15)

6. Life in a French village, with a bakery, a farmers’ market, wine caves and a café (00:13:40)

7. Discovering Cotignac, a secret celebrity hideaway on the French Riviera (00:16:26)

8. “Turquoise shutters, cobblestone streets, and cave dwellings!” (00:19:40)

9. Rivers, forests, waterfalls…”and on top of that, the real estate is affordable” (00:21:30)

10. An incredibly diverse local food scene (00:25:40)

11. Places to rent for less than $1,000 a month, village homes for less than $200k (00:28:15)

12. Lower prices than the French Riviera, but only an hour away from Cannes (00:31:04)

13. Advice for anyone considering a move to France (00:35:20)