Edmond Simeoni and the wishes of CorsicaEdmond Simeoni, 82, one of the founders of the Corsican nationalist movement, told Connexion the elections in December 2015 were a real shot in the arm for their dreams of autonomy.
Artisan soap maker: 'After six years, it still gives me a thrill’Anne Handel is one of around a hundred artisanal soap makers in France. She talks about her craft, which she gets a great deal of pleasure from
Hotel bed linen gets a second life in novel French recycling companyEdwige Ciria travelled the world staying in luxury hotels on business trips spotted a gap in the market for the linen they use in their bedrooms and bathrooms and on tables
Chateau life in France: 'Cold winters and hard work but no regrets'More than 1,500 of France’s 40,000 chateaux are currently for sale but what is the reality of chateau living in France?
Banker to cheesemonger: ‘I want to be an ambassador of this heritage’Runner up at this year’s World’s Best Cheesemonger Competition in Tours, Grégory Giraudon talks about his career change from finance to fromage
Boom in eco-villages in France for those seeking simple community lifeA far cry from the hippy communes of the past, 'écolieux' offer the chance to escape the rat race and embrace self-sufficiency
Green news France: Bins removed in tourist spot, tree thieves arrestedLitter bins replaced with flower boxes on the island of Aix off the Charente-Maritime, food waste transformed into energy and more
Agen prunes: How a small area of France is world renown for its plumsWith the smell of harvested French plums in the air, we speak to a passionate 'pruneaux' producer in South West France about why quality is everything
Meet the producer of berets worn by Rihanna to revolutionary chiefsProducing around 200,000 a year, Laulhère’s berets are somewhat iconic; from being styled by actresses to becoming trademark of Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara
Make sense of... French vide greniersA brief guide to France’s take on the good old jumble or car boot sale
Green news France: €80M cigarette clean-up, electricity-free lightingTobacco producers will foot cigarette butt clean-up bill, shortest commercial flight in France - just 57 kilometres and 14 minutes - launched and more
'Patience and creativity' needed to create stonemason art from FranceMarlie Kentish Barnes has been a stonemason, lettercutter, and stone-carver for 30 years and now mostly creates personalised funeral memorials and individual jobs to order
French sci-fi writers imagine future wars so the army can prepareThe aim of the ‘red team’ of 10 writers is to come up with ideas that soldiers would not have thought of, says the Armies Ministry
'Our dream of creating carp fishing holidays'A three-acre fishing lake between Rennes and Le Mans captured the heart of Lel and Jon Miller. They have since renovated amid the year’s precarious tourism conditions
New directions: From cashier to cupcake maker in FranceAngela Christophe tells how she moved from being a cashier to an 'assistante maternelle' (childminder) to following her love of baking and train as a 'patissier'
'We are proud to continue the craft of traditional straw brooms'Marie-Laure and Arnaud Gabriel from Normandy have revived a dying craft, and become one of only two makers of traditional straw brooms in France
Green news France: Enedis on bird protection, second life for old toysSecond hand toy recycling association creating jobs and giving love to old items, Enedis working with The League for the Protection of Birds and more
Growing trend for shipping containers as trendy pools in FranceIndustrial-chic swimming pools crafted from shipping containers are in high demand thanks to their looks, price point and durability
Green news France: Fishing nets into sunglasses, eco-vans for artisansAbandoned nylon fishing nets are being transformed into sunglasses in Brittany, Rouen council is giving aid to artisans for new less polluting vans and more
Meet Paris' last artisanal mattress makerPatrice Sébille runs the only 'atelier' of its kind left in Paris. He stepped in to save an ancient skill, but is finding it tough to keep going
Green news France: Anti-wind turbine, hive thefts, compost collectionAlmost two thirds of wind turbine installations are being disputed in the French courts, debates for free bus travel on high pollution days and more
The real history of Mother’s Day in FranceMais non, the celebration was not invented by Maréchal Pétain
