You are worrying too much about language - you will be fine

I have been to Provence and the Tarn many times in the past and I love France and the French, but I do speak very reasonable French and have never been there solo.

If you are concerned about the language barrier (which I think is unfounded) you might be better in Italy, Spain, Germany, Scandinavia, or indeed the UK or Ireland where it really does not matter.

The French love their language (and who can blame them, it‘s such a lovely language, IMO) but you may find fewer people speak English as in other destinations.

Provence is wonderful and I do recommend it. As I have said before I have never done it solo but I have never been to the Amalfi coast - either solo or as a family/couple but do intend to bore all you solo’s about my trip when I return!!!

Don’t worry about the language - you’ll be fine

Hi Solobydefault – Interesting login name.
For driving overseas, you need to be able to drive a standard car. I have driven some in Europe both solo and with others but not in very large cities. There are some differences compared to US driving depending on the country, IMO. It might be a good idea to know beforehand what type of a road you will be getting on by consulting a map and the hotel you are staying at.

The fact is that there are more families and couples traveling compared to solos no matter where you go. It is understandable if a solo traveler avoids packaged tours that cater to couples. You might not want to worry about the rest of the destinations. As long as you are not self conscious about being solo, the rest is all well.

I have perused some of the destinations and I have yet another question . . . since I am vacationing in July, should I be worried that almost all the places I am interested in (Madrid, Provence, Naples, etc) say that July is the worst time to go? Does anyone have an opinion from their experiences travelling in these areas in July?

July is high season in Europe
No matter where you go the rate of accommodation will be higher and there will be lots of tourists.

It's summer time!! and all of Europe (and I suspect the US) are on holiday.

As a solo you won't be on your own