Markets

MAPPING THE MARKETS OF PETER MAYLE’S PROVENCE

Posted on by Susan Manfull
Twenty years ago, my husband, daughter, and I rolled into Marseille on the high-speed train from Paris.  If I recall correctly, the Aix-en-Provence TGV station had not yet been built. We rented a car and drove to Aix-en-Provence, where we would spend several nights before moving to Lourmarin, the small village at the base of the Luberon Mountains.  Peter Mayle country. Peter Mayle, the British-born advertising executive and author of children’s books turned internationally-renowned author of bo...
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FOR OUR FIRST THANKSGIVING IN PROVENCE, WE TURNED TO LA RÔTISSERIE DU LUBERON AT THE WEEKLY MARKET

Posted on by Susan Manfull
As the days move closer to Thanksgiving, I am thinking of the year we were in Provence—in the charming village of Lourmarin—on that quintessential American holiday. Like most people who are drawn to travel abroad, we love to learn about the traditions of other cultures and are eager to embrace them when we are in those countries. Some, we may even take home with us and celebrate as our own. I’m thinking of the Santon village that will soon grace a corner of our living room and the wheat that, wi...
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TO MARKET, TO MARKET… WHAT TO BUY WHEN YOU DON’T WANT TO BUY A FAT PIG?

Posted on by Susan Manfull
The long lazy days of summer in this part of the world officially come to an end this weekend. Already the days are abbreviated. After all the summers I’ve visited Provence, I have never lost my amazement at how long the days linger in the months of June, July, and August and how soon night begins to fall when September arrives! By now, the last of the summer transplants has battened down the hatches of their country homes and returned north to places like Paris and Brussels. In their pla...
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THE PERTUIS MARKET

Posted on by Susan Manfull
Conversations in Provence inevitably turn to local markets (and food and wine, of course). Did you see the plump figs at the small stand at the far end of the bassin? Who is your favorite cheese man? Which Tuesday market do you favor? Where can I get a good head of lettuce? Which market has the best espadrilles? Where do you park at L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue?This summer, markets still dominated many of my exchanges, but a question surfaced that I had never been asked: have you ever been to the ma...
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LA TOUR-D’AIGUES’ MARKET: A SMALL MARKET WITH A BIG BACKDROP

Posted on by Susan Manfull
For a small market, La Tour-d’Aigues’ market certainly has a dramatic backdrop. Every Tuesday, the open square in front of the towering façade of the town’s 16th-century château is filled with vendors selling mostly food and practical wares. Essentially, it’s a local market—when I was last there in June, most people seemed to be filling their baskets with fresh produce and other edible goodies. It’s a lovely spot to do just that. La Tour-d’Aigues is located in the...
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EYGALIÉRES IS AMONG MY TEN FAVORITE PROVENCE MARKETS

Posted on by Susan Manfull
The sleepy village of Eygalières awakes with a roar on Friday mornings in the summer. Trucks, vans, station wagons, and deux-chevaux make their way into the town’s main street where the vendors hop out to unfold their tables, open their umbrellas, arrange their wares, and set up shop for about four hours, transforming Rue de la République into a vibrant market.     Soon familiar scents of lavender, spices, herbs of Provence, and paella waft through the air, invitin...
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NORTH AFRICAN COUSCOUS, PROVENCE ROSÉ, AND RHONE RED: A COSMOPOLITAN COMBINATION THAT WARMS BOTH BODY AND SOUL

Posted on by Susan Manfull
Provence is a melting pot of immigrants and nowhere is this more apparent than in Marseille where residents hail from neighboring Italy and Spain as well as Greece, Armenia, Indochina, and West and North Africa. Given that Marseille is the Mediterranean Sea’s largest port (and Europe’s second-largest), its cosmopolitan composition is not surprising. Upwards of a quarter of the population of France’s second largest city has roots from North Africa, especially Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria (ref...
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PROVENCE CHRISTMAS MARKETS: LOURMARIN’S MARCHÉ DE NOËL IS DELIGHTFUL

Posted on by Susan Manfull
Although lavender, poppies, and leisurely lunches with rosé at poolside tables are the typical draw to Provence, Christmas Markets—Les Marchés de Noël—are another wonderful reason to visit this region. Okay, it is cold but the sun is bright, the relaxed pace prevails, and the spirit of Christmas warms your heart. The Christmas markets of Alsace are the most famous in France and probably the most authentic since that region neighbors Germany where such markets are thought to have originated wa...
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TUESDAYS IN PROVENCE : OH THE STRESS OF WHICH MARKET TO VISIT

Posted on by Susan Manfull
It’s Tuesday morning in Lourmarin and, as I drink my grand crème at Café Gaby, soaking up the morning sun and watching the passers-by, I feel pressure mounting. Our empty baskets rest on the chairs next to us and our shopping list—loosely composed so that what I find at the market can guide my ultimate selections—sits on the table. Which market shall we head toward this morning? There are so many markets from which to choose. Stress in Provence? Yup….but, oh to have such stress. Every day is ...
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SAINT RÉMY’S WEDNESDAY MARKET IS ONE OF OUR FAVORITES

Posted on by Susan Manfull
This article is part of a series about our ten favorite markets in Provence. Thus far, we have written about Aix-en-Provence, Apt, Cadenet, Cucuron, Gordes, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, and Lourmarin. When we chose our top ten markets, we considered the quality and variety of the offerings, the friendliness of the vendors, and the ambience of the venue. Practical issues (e.g., traffic and parking) were also weighed, but, in the end, it was the market itself that mattered most. Get there early and avoid t...
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