MNgluten

Thank you so much for your suggestions. I never thought of the set menu problem. I thought I could just order plain fish or chicken.

Also I really appreciate the suggestions of what to see. It seems overwhelming at times to plan this trip between where to have our home base, what to see, what can I eat and the language. I don't want to give up and just not go because of the gluten-free diet.

I would do as much of the grocery store thing as possible.

You will probably find (it has been some time since I was there and I was not diagnosed at the time) that most restaurants have a "set menu", meaning you have options for three courses that are set. That usually reflects the food they have prepared. The choices are usually fairly limited-- fish or chicken for the main course, say. They will probably not be able to make a special batch up for you. This is a typical smaller rural type restaurant or hotel. They may simply not be able to accomodate you. A more upscale restaurant is a better bet.

You will love Provence-- if you get a chance, there were several towns and places that stood out that were a bit off the path.

Domme (breathtaking! It rises up out of the earth)

Rousillon-- eat some rabbit there if you can. I don't know why, but that is my memory. The red cliffs are beautiful.

Avignon-- you have to dance on the bridge. It is a tradition :-) The papal palace is okay, but the park is nicer.

Perigord (lots of culinary specialties-- confit de canard) If I remember rightly, they are excavating some amazing roman ruins there. You could walk over them and look down into baths, etc.

Lascaux II (the copy of the cave-- the original is not open to the public) in Dordogne. In that region you will see lots of abandoned towns along the road that are great photo ops.

Die (in the Alps)-- famous for a clarette and an amazing archaeological site (Roman outpost, Mithraic cult-- spring for the museum there.)

Ile sur la sorgue-- just beautiful. Buy fabric there and hike up the river-- it is by Mt. Venteux where the Tour of France goes through and where Petrarch spent some time. Get something to drink at a riverside cafe and sit a spell. The color of the water is beyond description.

Lac d'Anncey- one the boder with Geneva. It is famous for the black swans. There is a little twon near there that has micro-climates, so the higher you go, the more tropical the vegetation beomes.

And if you can, the Abbey of Senanc is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It is like a fairy tale place.

Watch out for sheep on the roads! There is a huge migration during certains months.

We are thinking of taking a trip through Provence and I was wondering would it be better to rent a villa and buy gluten-free food in stores or stay in a hotel and order food at restaurants. We do not speak French at all but I have downloaded the lists to show waiters or chefs of what I can or can't eat. We would eat in some restaurants either way.