Viens, France

By VALERIE MARCHANT

Bill Anderson and Lorie Strait hadn't read Peter Mayle before they bought a home in Provence in 1996 for their retirement. But life in their stone house, situated amid fields of lavender and groves of oak, could easily provide a sequel to A Year in Provence.

Their three acres, a 10-minute walk from the small hilltop village of Viens, feature a garden with the requisite stone picnic table, a fountain waiting for a plumber and a driveway requiring four-wheel-drive vehicles. "The initial appeal of this area was due to all of the trite stuff, like the light, the food and the countryside," says Strait, 56, a former lawyer who once lived in Paris for five years. "We loved this part of France and wanted to get a new place while we both made the transition from full-time work to something completely different," says Anderson, 53, formerly a Florida-based businessman.

Strait has created an atelier in the house for her new career as a figurative sculptor. Anderson is working on his French. The couple hike on dozens of marked trails that meander through tiny villages. They keep in constant touch with the outside world using the Internet.

But the newly retired baby boomers don't entirely ignore the bright lights of the city. They have a pied-a-terre in Paris, a three-hour train ride away, and frequently visit Aix-en-Provence, an hour's drive over the Luberon Mountains.

The ancient city of Aix-en-Provence, with its university and 137,000 residents, has long been associated with artists, most notably Impressionist Paul Cezanne. The Cours Mirabeau, the city's main street, is a delightful tunnel of greenery featuring sprawling plane trees and elegant mansions. Anderson and Strait enjoy walking the maze of back alleys that wind through markets, past historical monuments, artisan boutiques, art galleries and art-supply stores. "The city has a movement and lifestyle that is a great counterpoint to our somewhat isolated home," says Strait.

Aix also provides a base for exploring the Mediterranean, lower Alps and Provencal countryside. Retirees flock to Aix in part because of the pleasant climate but also because there are two hospitals and 23 medical centers. There are also 10 tennis clubs, five golf courses and eight riding stables in the vicinity, as well as the recently renovated Thermes Sextius spa, located above the excavated foundation of the old Roman baths. An "olive-tree route" guides visitors to mills and presses at some of the area's 5,435 olive producers.

Strait has her resident permit, and Anderson has applied for his. While neither can work in France, each is focused on making a new life. "You almost re-create yourself once you move abroad, because there are none of the usual frames of reference," says Anderson. "The transition can be a mental and emotional challenge--as well as a lot of fun."

--Reported by Joel Stratte-McClure/Viens

With reporting by Joel Stratte-McClure/Viens