Chateau Market in the Southern Luberon...

The village of La Tour d'Aigues anchors a lovely and vibrant valley that runs along the southern edge of the Luberon. Far less well-known than the northern slopes of Luberon made famous by Pater Mayle, the Val d'Aigues is home to wonderful villages like La Tour d'Aigues.

The Tuesday morning market surrounds the entrance to their famous Chateau. It has long been an active market for locals in the region, but in recent years the number of vendors has increased, the variety of offerings has grown, parking has been made easier to find and use, all making the market at La Tour d'Aigues an attractive venue for shopping!

It is in this market that I learned how to find the vendor whose produce is produced locally and has been harvested within hours of the market. After a tour of the vegetable vendors, my neighbor, a local native, stopped me in front of a particular vendor. She pointed out the age and habits of the customers.
Nearly all were senior citizens, if you will; all carefully checking each item; and choosing only things in season. They knew one another and they knew the vendor, spoke of family and cooking strategies as they shopped.




At the other stalls, the vendors did most of the talking, encouraging customers to purchase certain products and hurrying from one customer to the next. Valuable lessons!




One last secret to tell about La Tour d'Aigues--the best bakery for miles around is just 1/2 block from the Chateau, on the main road with a yellow awning.

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.

The Lourmarin Market is on Friday!

The village of Lourmarin hosts its market on Friday mornings, all year round. This market seems popular not only with visitors to the Luberon region, but also with locals.
The vegetable vendors' stalls are very busy with discerning french women, choosing the best of what's available. (These shoppers are normally among the first to arrive in the morning.) The flower seller also has a wide range of plants that grow well locally. The boulanger, the butcher, the fishmonger, they are all quite popular at this market. There is a man who sells cheese (fromage) from the Savoie region. He offers samples as the crowd passes, and slices wedges from a huge round for picnic-ers.

At this market, there is a separate plaza filled primarily with artists, artisans, and vendors of hats, clothes, soaps, jewelry, and pottery. At this market, there is a tiny silver-haired woman who sells the kind of pottery I like: soap dishes, garlic graters, soup bowls, latte cups, all in rich deep shades of Provence--greens, golds, reds, and deep blues.


If you go, plan to park in the lot near the top of the market, under the cherry trees. It's convenient with plenty of spaces, and after walking the market you can refresh yourself with a cherry or two from the tree branch brushing the roof of your car....

The village has a couple of good restaurants for lunch and the small chateau offers a self-guided tour for after lunch enjoyment.

Remember that these markets open for summertime business around 8-8:30 and close up around 12:30-1pm. During winter months, they open closer to 9am and I have seem them close up an hour later in the face of winter winds or rain. Early is best!!