Your guide


Town and Country Guide for Art and History

What a lovely name, isn’t it? Until 2011, it was the highest level of guide. Only those – because our profession is 98 per cent female – who had passed this very difficult exam, organised by the Ministry of Culture, held this title, of which I am proud. In 2011, the Minister for the Economy decided, as part of his ‘law to simplify work’, that all guides would henceforth bear the title of guide, with the addition of the term ‘lecturer’… Under these new conditions, it’s hard to know how skilled your guide is.

 

Skills and knowledge in several areas

To explain how I ended up in this wonderful profession …
A few years ago, after obtaining a DEUG (Diplôme d’Études Universitaires Générales) in languages, a BTS in Tourism and a DEUG in Art History, I wanted to take my studies a step further by obtaining a Master’s degree in Science and Techniques and the Promotion of Cultural and Natural Heritage.
After various experiences in setting up cultural projects, working in particular at the Sainte Baume eco-museum, I quickly realised that the areas I enjoyed most were contact with people and passing on my knowledge through guided tours and mediation in schools. The area I live in has been awarded the ‘Pays d’Art et d’Histoire’ label, so in 2011 I took a special training course and passed the ‘key’ exam organised by the Ministry of Culture to obtain the ‘Guide Conférencière des Villes et Pays d’Art et d’Histoire’ card.
 

Guided tours, conferences, school events

Working for a Pays d’Art et d’Histoire means being able to give guided tours, lectures and talks to schools on all aspects of architecture and heritage, from prehistory to the present day. I need to know how to talk about all types of heritage, from the great basilica at St Maximin la Sainte Baume to the dry-stone huts in our charming little villages. I also have a knowledge of the natural heritage and other areas of art history, such as painting and sculpture. That’s why I offer visits to a wide range of places and on a variety of themes.
 

Multi-purpose visits and cross-views

The Master’s degree in Heritage Science and Techniques is a multi-disciplinary course that looks at the environment as a whole: History, Art History, Geography, Ecology, Environment, Ethnology… It made me realise that everything is linked, and it gave me a new perspective on everything that surrounds us. The fact that I give tours of so many places and give talks on so many different themes opens up people’s eyes and allows them to make these connections. I also like the term ‘bridges’, which link fields that are, on the surface, separate.

Visits that are simple, accessible and lively

But for me that’s not enough. You can be a great specialist in a particular subject but not a fascinating guide. In my opinion, you need to be able to pass on your knowledge in a simple and lively way. Working regularly with children and teenagers nurtures this ability. When we visit the basilica of St Maximin, for example, I won’t give you a tedious list of information and dates. They are necessary, of course, but they will serve above all to explain to you why this building is in this place and not in another. I will also show you how a monument, a statue or a painting reflects a certain society at a certain time.
 

 

More than a guided tour, I invite you to take a journey!

I’d like to talk to you about travel rather than guided tours. Some time ago, as part of a training course, I had to give a ‘pitch’, in other words a very short presentation, to encourage people from my town and the surrounding villages to come and visit with me.
Here’s what I said to them: ‘When I say the word “trip”, I think you’re imagining faraway lands, with palm trees perhaps. The problem with travelling is that the further away you go, the more expensive it is! Well, I’m offering you the chance to travel all year round for much less! And how do I do that? By taking you to your own region. By giving you the keys to learning to see the full richness of the place in which you live. Because behind a seemingly banal landscape lies a whole story that I want to tell you. Let me show you that Adventure is at the end of the road. That’s right! At the bend in a road that you may travel every day, there’s an unusual place that only I know about, a little hidden treasure to which only I hold the key.
 
I couldn’t have imagined just how much this would become our reality! Being forced to stay in your immediate environment!

 

This year: experience the same pleasure as a long trip… in France!

Lately, the vast majority of us have had to stay at home to travel.
But what a country it is! The most visited country in the world! With an exceptionally rich history and heritage. Some of our monuments, so popular with our foreign visitors, are virtually inaccessible during the high season. So make the most of it! Now’s your chance!

Fancy an adventure? Would you like to see monuments and sites that you won’t find on your own? Do you want to understand monuments and sites that are clearly visible, but which you would have missed anyway because you didn’t get a full, simple and pleasant explanation? Would you like to finish a visit by saying to yourself ‘What a wonderful time or day we’ve had’? So don’t hesitate to contact me!

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.