Newsletter - July 2025

Greetings from Robbi and Jim

A warm welcome to all of the members of our Aroma Tours Newsletter in over 30 countries around the world.

Robbi and I are now in beautiful Provence and are hearts are full with all of the delightful experiences that we have shared with our guests, with many more to come.

Our 2025 tour season is now sold out and we feel truly blessed to be sharing our passion for the places and experiences that we love with wonderful people from around the world.

Next year is continuing to astound and delight us with our Flavours of France Tour already sold out and our other tours already down to the last few vacancies!

• For more details, prices and itineraries please visit our tour information page and if your would like to "Seize the Day" and journey with us next year, this can be done via our make a reservation page.

Memorable Photos from Aroma Tours 2024

One of the best ways to enjoy the spirit of our Aroma Tours is by taking a peek at some of the photos we have taken during our adventures in Spain, France and Italy.

We are too busy to be able to share any of this year's lovely photos with you but as soon as we have time we will be adding them for your viewing pleasure.

Memorable Photos 2024-1

Memorable Photos 2024-2

Memorable Photos 2024-3

Memorable Photos 2024-4

Memorable Photos 2024-5

We also invite you visit our other Photo Galleries Pages to enjoy more of the 1000's of other lovely photos of our Aroma Tours adventures.

Our Current Booking Status

This year has become our most successful season ever with all of our 2025 tours now sold out and our 2026 season going from strength to strength, with several tours already sold out and those remaining down to the last few vacancies.

• For detailed information about any of our tours please visit our tour information page and if you would like to join us please visit our make a reservation page.
• It is our pleasure to assist you with any questions you may have and we invite you to get in touch with us at jim@aroma-tours.com

Please note

• Our up-to-the-minute booking status is available via our calendar page

Summer in Provence

YOU KNOW YOU’RE IN PROVENCE IF…

The sky is blue and cloud free because of gusts of wind called le Mistral

The perfume of lavender, thyme and rosemary fills the air

The cicadas sing their mating song as soon as the weather turns warmer

The open markets teem with exquisitely beautiful things and delicious fare

You feel beckoned to sit under the shade of a majestic plane tree

Musicians play in the squares and narrow cobblestone streets

Café terraces fill with groups of friends at aperitif time

The incomparable light spills into your heart

And the exuberant beauty of summer fills you with joy…

Van Gogh in Arles

Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin were first introduced to one another in Paris by Vincent's brother Theo, who was both Vincent's patron and Gauguin's art agent in Paris.
Gauguin, already a successful painter in his own right, was enthralled when he was introduced to Vincent's painting of two sunflowers which revealed to him the genius lurking within Vincent's complex and often gruff character.

Both artists increasingly found the Parisian art scene overwhelming and full of egos and criticism, although they both benefited from the influences of the Impressionists, Pointillists and neo-Impressionists during that time.

As a result of these tensions, Vincent decided to relocate to the south in February 1888, away from the darkness of Paris and into the luminous light of Provence.

It was Vincent's dream to create an artist's community - a "Studio of the South" - to attract other innovative artists in order to share skills and inspiration and influence each another's artistic growth. For this artist's utopia he enigmatically chose a small yellow house in the seedy district of the unremarkable ( from an artists point of view ) and rather conservative town of Arles on the Rhone river.

On his arrival, Van Gogh was immediately inspired by the beauty of the Provencale countryside and started painting at break-neck speed, experimenting with strong, contrasting colours ( yellow was his favourite ) and creating his own vibrant images of reality.

February 1888

March / April 1888

May 1888 

June / July 1888 

August 1888 

September 1888

With Theo's prompting, Gauguin agreed to join Vincent in Arles that October and initially it seemed that Vincent's dream of an artist's commune was coming to fruition.

In the beginning they worked closely together, painting the scenes and people around them, sharing portrait sessions and communing at length. As a result their styles began moving closer together: Gauguin encouraged Vincent to paint more from memory rather than his usual spontaneous "in-the-moment" fashion and Vincent helped Gauguin to explore new colour possibilities and apply his paint with more intensity.

October 1888

November 1888

As the weeks passed, Vincent's erratic nature and personal intensity, as well as Gauguin's egoism and reluctance to praise Vincent's work, coupled with their fundamentally different philosophies and constant close proximity, led inevitably to friction and quarrels.

Gauguin's paintings began to sell and gain celebrity in Paris ( unlike Vincent who considered his work too primitive and undeveloped to exhibit ) and he began to question the wisdom of remaining so far from the action, with a man whose mental unraveling was becoming more pronounced by the day.

December 1888

Vincent responded to Gauguin's increasing fretfulness by working with fierce intensity, producing 25 pictures during what was to be a very eventful December. He was often drunk and exhausted and constantly fearful that Gauguin was going to abandon him.

On 23 December 1888, frustrated and ill, Van Gogh confronted Gauguin with a cutthroat razor, then afterwards, full of remorse and in panic, he fled to a local brothel where he cut off part of his ear.

Gauguin left Arles on Christmas Day and the two painters never saw each other again.

January 1889

Vincent continued to deteriorate and spent his time in and out of hospital, eventually being driven out of Arles by the townsfolk.

April 1889

Not long afterwards he admitted himself to the mental asylum of St Paul de Mausole where he continued to paint prolifically and produced some of his greatest works.

Beyond Arles

To walk in Vincent's footsteps and stand in the actual places where he created some of the world's most famous artworks is a very moving experience. One can almost imagine the easel and peasant's chair with Vincent's gaunt form shaded by his painter's straw hat intently capturing the "true reality" around him.

Vincent's amazing legacy is part of several of our tours in Provence: we walk in his footsteps and visit St Paul de Mausole during our Heart of Provence and Essential Provence tours.

Travelling Solo in a Group

As well as couples and friends travelling together, we are regularly joined by solo travellers - mostly women, who appreciate being able to journey with liked minded people from around the world, without the need to do all the planning and take on the daunting task of touring by themselves.

Joining one of our small group tours is easy and we have already made all of the arrangements on your behalf to ensure that you have a delightful, stress-free holiday with the focus on having fun.

Having a ready-made group of friends to travel with, and us to take wonderful care of you is the way to go!

We have carefully crafted off-the-beaten-path itineraries that are the perfect balance of structure, experiences, details and free time to enjoy in your own way.

Our Invitation

Robbi and I look forward to the pleasure of welcoming you to enjoy one of our delightful Aroma Tours in 2026.

• For detailed information about any of our tours please visit our tour information page and if you would like to join us please visit our make a reservation page.
• As always if you have any questions or if you would like us to assist you personally with advice about your travel arrangements or with any other details please contact us at info@aroma-tours.com

Warmest regards,

Jim and Robbi