We are still on a quest to find furniture for our house in Italy so last week, on our drive back from Paris, we visited a small town in southern France which is known to have a good Sunday market which includes food, local product and many stalls with antique and 'brocante' (old but not necessarily antique items). Even with a great deal of research markets can be 'hit & miss' and you are not sure if it is worthwhile until you get there. I suppose that is part of the fun, but it also means one has to have patience. This market is in a small town near Avignon called L'Isle-sur-la Sorgue, and the market is on Sunday morning 9am-1pm, about 1hr drive from where we were staying in Aix-en-Provence. It proved to be a very successful day and we now have a very nice solid timber table for our kitchen - about 60yrs old with a 'lived in' aesthetic which will suit our house, some beautiful French quilted bedcovers for the 2nd bedroom, and some worn looking French iron lattice armchairs to sit on our loggia.
Many of the antique stands are permanent sections (so slightly removed from the market part of the town) and although permanent are only open on 10am-5pm Saturday, Sunday and Monday. There were no real 'bargains' to be had, but there is an interesting and eclectic array of products which most stall owners were happy to negotiate on - which in effect is part of the fun of market hunting. Fossick, then negotiate negotiate negotiate - and be prepared to walk away! The food & produce market stalls close at 1pm and then everyone relaxes to the many restaurants around town to enjoy the local produce and a glass of wine.
Here are some of the photos I took while wandering the antique side of the market.
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| This table will soon be getting much use in our Italian kitchen |
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| Time for a glass of wine and some local food after a successful day |
