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 books set in Provence, entitled the book that propelled him to fame, “A Year in Provence,” but as others have pointed out, a more apt title would have been…

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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 place are vacationers—probably more like you and me—striving to be satisfied with just a week or…

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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 market in Pertuis?   Pertuis Market    Photo by Susan Manfull Now, for me, there were only four…

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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 southeastern corner of the Luberon, about 15 kilometers from Lourmarin, where we usually stay. It was built on a hill, overlooking the fertile valley of the Eze…

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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, inviting the crowds that will soon descend.   This is one of my favorite markets. The selection of goods is particularly interesting and their quality is quite…

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Every Thursday morning from mid-November through February, truffle vendors file into Aups for the region’s most popular retail market for “Tuber melanosporum,” otherwise known as the “black truffle.” And following close behind are chefs from local restaurants, agents working on behalf of culinary establishments in Paris, people like me who simply love truffles, tax inspectors, and more gendarmes than a village of 2000 should ever expect to see, even at the annual peak of tourism in August. This past Thursday morning, when torrential rains periodically doused the crowd, the cast of characters was in place. The market must go on—there’s black gold wrapped in dish…

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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 market day in Provence, but not all days are as blessed as Tuesday, a day that can…

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 I know, I know: it’s the antiques that draw people from all over the world to the Isle-sur-la-Sorgue market. This pleasant but otherwise unremarkable Provençal town is the indisputable go-to place in the South of France for serious antique shopping and its huge market on Sunday mornings is a magnet for those looking for things like the perfect Louis XIV chest of drawers or a Napoleon Bonaparte bust in bronze. In my visits to the Sunday market over the years, I have been known to find room in my suitcase for a pair of brass candle sticks, a couple of wrought-iron wine bottle carriers, and a set…

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Mondays are the best day to visit Cadenet. Okay, some people will say that Monday is the only day to visit Cadenet. Oh heck, some people will wonder why Cadenet is even on our list of “Ten Markets We Always Visit in Provence.” If you are a tourist planning your trip to Provence with the usual laundry list of places to go and things to see in a nano-second, neither Cadenet nor its market should be near the top—or even in the middle—of your list. But, if Monday has rolled around after a busy weekend and you forgot to plan for dinner or if you…

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