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How a family of four exchanges their home and keeps two active teens busy on a successful vacation exploring the Provence region of France.

The name conjures up images of venerable hill towns, Impressionist paintings, sensations of rosé wine to be tasted in the local cellars, and perfumes of early summer lavender. Perhaps you too have lingered over the pages of one of Peter Mayle's odes to the region, and, like me, dreamed of your own week in Provence. But, for a family with two teenagers in tow?

Can one family successfully manage to blend these adult treats with kid-oriented activities? We did so quite nicely for one week this past July, and were all enriched by the experience.

Settling in at Bonnieux

We were based in Bonnieux, a classically beautiful hill town in the heart of the Luberon Valley. It is nestled among many other gorgeous hill towns, each a short drive from the other. As experienced home swappers, we had arranged an exchange with a French-American family. Our accommodation was a small house next door to the 12th-century Vieille Eglise, or old church, perched on the highest point of the town, giving us an incredible view of the valley and the Chateau of Lacoste from our terrace, and even from our bathroom!  We found that a rental car was invaluable for touring the Luberon Valley, as bus and train service between the towns can be sketchy.

I would have been content to spend a good portion of my time gazing at the view and reading on the terrace, with an occasional break to sample the peaches and plums from one of several fruit trees that provided a shady respite from the midday sun. However, my teenaged off-spring (Madeleine, age 14, and Alec, age 16) are both active and fun loving, and have different ideas of summer fun.

We quickly sought the advice of the local tourist office in town who gave us information about outings that the town of Roussillon offers local teens at the low cost of €8 per teen, per day. We went directly to the Roussillon Town Hall, or Mairie where we were warmly greeted. In spite of not speaking French, the kids felt comfortable enough to register for two of the day trips being offered that week. Wednesday would be a day at the beach in Marseille and Friday, "AcroBranche," or Colorado adventure, a rope and tree climbing expedition.

We spent the rest of our first full day in Provence exploring Bonnieux and its famous bread museum, which details the history and art of bread making in the region, and in the nation. Exhibits show many details of the process, from the planting of the crop to the ovens that the bread is baked in. For your morning croissant, Bonnieux has three bakeries to choose from, which seemed plentiful for such a small town, even in France.

We also explored the cedar forest, just out of town, where there were many shady trails for hiking. Every way we turned we were able to enjoy the scent of cedars that permeated the air. We were surprised by the solitude as we saw hardly any other walkers.