French Life

Embrace France's joie de vivre with real-life tales and bright ideas ranging from the quirky to the inspirational.

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Edmond Simeoni and the wishes of Corsica

Edmond 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.

Famileo: The ‘newspaper’ that keeps families in touch

Connexion's Jane Hanks discovers the simple secret behind French start-up Famileo’s success - families simply wanting to talk to each other

Environmental news in France for February 2021

65% of France's Canal du Midi plane trees already destroyed by fungus, French government authorises three-year period of previously banned neonicotinoid insecticides and more

Doctors in France can prescribe a thermal spa break

GPs in France can prescribe 18 days at a thermal treatment centre for patients with a wide range of complaints

Hollywood hero's support phone message for Corsica

Leader of local business association gets action star Chuck Norris to deliver a New Year greeting

Musical sister act raises funds for French convent

Nuns film short musical comedy to help raise money for wheelchair facilities

Environmental news in France for January 2021

Dordogne hunting federation to help preserve a wetland, eco-responsible children’s clothing brand launched in Vienne and more

Click, collect and reuse: French online shopping goes green

Zero-waste and organic businesses in France are well-and-truly embracing 21st-century consumer habits, as Jane Hanks discovers

Green Christmas: French town uses only recycled decorations

A northern town has made all of its Christmas decorations from recycled goods this year and hopes to inspire others to do the same

Christmas in France: The Basque tradition of 'Olentzero'

The mythical Olentzero has featured in the Basque Country winter solstice for over 10,000 years, predating both Christianity and Father Christmas

Behind Provence’s famous traditional festive figurines

Camille Renoux discusses the tradition of santons in Provence, and the firm that was founded by her grandfather

Not just for Christmas: How to grow poinsettias year-round

This much loved yuletide plant can actually be kept all-year-round with a little know-how

Environmental news in France this December

One community's woollen 'eco' Christmas tree, renewable electricity powering whole towns and more

Wrap your way to an eco-Christmas with Ancient Japanese art

Dating back to 8th century AD in Japan, Furoshiki is the art of folding and knotting material to wrap presents or carry belongings

French cultural digest: December 2020

A round up of five arts and culture stories creating a buzz in France in the last few weeks of 2020

Environmental news in France this November

Solar panel ‘park’ gets backing, new diesel alternative for truck drivers launched and more

French cultural digest: November 2020

A round up of five arts and culture stories creating a buzz in France this autumn

Croissants, cheese, strikes - what makes the French, French?

For nearly 20 years, guidebook writer Nick Inman has tried to answer the question: What makes the French, French? Here, he reveals why he has never quite found a satisfying answer.

How the wine of France’s royal court has been reborn again

A wine served only at France’s royal court until the Revolution has been saved from extinction for a second time, and the grape is being grown once again.

Did you know? Nicotine was named after a Frenchman

The story of Nicotine, and its French namesake...

The Concorde pilot, the King and the ancient French building

The remarkable story of the Grange aux Moines, in Haute-Vienne, which was once owned by King Henry II of England

The eco-friendly French family preparing to live 'off-grid'

The coronavirus pandemic and confinement has made many people think about the way we live, such as this family who, as the 'world faces collapse', are preparing to live their lives off-grid.