St Martin de la Brasque is a Mayle Favorite!

This small Luberon village is home to one of Peter Mayle's recommended restaurants, Restaurant de la Fontaine. Having eaten there before he made it famous, I can say they have a pleasant terrace, a wonderful kitchen, and great service! They will even help you with the menu if you do not speak french.

On Sunday mornings this village hosts a terrific market for growers and artisans of the region. The fellow who sells goat cheese (chevre) lives a few miles away, for example. Located on the southern slopes of the Luberon, St Martin sits about 5km from La Tour d'Aigues and 30 km from Aix en Provence. The vineyards that surround this village offer nice bike riding!

The man who sells the sweetest melons I have tasted will help you choose just the right one, but only if you can tell him pretty precisely when you plan to eat it! Today at lunch? In the cool of this evening after dinner? Or day after tomorrow?

In addition to the farmers, there are local artists and others selling a beautiful array of pottery, jewelry, photographs, leather goods, paper goods, linens, and the like.

On a recent morning I found a vendor who had set up a small 'fishing pond' where young shoppers could throw down a line to capture a pouch full of goodies, well supervised by mom of course.

Across the way, a nearby winery was offering samples of a sweet wine to taste together with bites of local melon...oh my, tonight's dessert!

St Martin has a post box, a good bakery, a full service salon/spa,and a small grocery. At this date, no ATM, so bring cash to the market. (Always the best idea.)Parking is easily available right along side the market; the market area is flat and wheelchair accessible.

Artisans in the Forcalquier Market of Provence!

At the Monday morning market in Forcalquier, the vendors wind through the narrow streets and fill the plazas. It feels like a small, intimate market, but in truth it is one of the larger markets in the region. What makes it a bit different?

It is a mosaic of markets: fresh vegetables and fruits on the lower levels, clothing on the side streets, fabrics, pottery, leathers, soaps fill the main plaza, sausage and olive vendors line the main road.
You will find a special treat of this market in an enclosed plaza, a bit hidden on the lower level. This is where the local artisans show their creations of leather, woven wool, silver, brass and the like. Pottery, jewelry, rugs, scarves, handbags, tabletop sculptures, watercolor on canvas. One woman shows her macrame against the ages old wall of the village church! This spot has the feel of a special ‘market within a market’ and I love to wander there.

Along one of the side street between the main plaza and the lower level is where I find one of my favorite vendors. This seller has several tables heaped high with piles of luxurious French organza! Filmy and gauzy, these fabrics come not on a bolt but in large odd-shaped pieces—1 meter here, 3 meters there. Normally, when I shop there, I find at least a few pieces that I cannot resist. Then the dreaming begins….What can I do with this lovely fabric? Will it drape over the French doors to the terrace? Maybe it will be a throw over the guest bed or a curtain in the back bathroom?
Many fabrics used for OliveBranchTraders Table Linens are found in this market.