Shopping in Provence

Some of the smallest villages have their predatory claws unfurled these days, with every house a storefront overflowing with doodads and gewgaws on Provençal themes. Pottery mugs with good-luck cicadas and coasters of the famous sunflowers are the bastard children of legitimate crafts and products that are intrinsically Provence—boutis, intricately quilted cotton throws; richly textured Provençal fabrics in 18th-century reproduction paisley prints, put to legitimate use as skirts, curtains, and tablecloths; marvelously mild and natural savon de Marseille (Marseille soap); artisanal olive oils from the Alpilles; and if you acquire the taste, the sometimes exquisitely rendered santons, tiny terra-cotta figurines first made for Provençal Christmas crèches. The best santonniers have studios in Aubagne.

Avignon is too big and too resident-oriented to be full of tourist-aimed boutiques; instead, it has a cosmopolitan mix of French chains, youthful clothing shops (it's a college town), and a few plummy dress shops. Rue des Marchands, off Place Carnot, is one shopping stretch, but Rue de la République is the main artery.

Every Wednesday morning St-Rémy hosts one of the most popular and picturesque markets in Provence, during which the Place de la République and narrow Old Town streets overflow with fresh produce, herbs and spices, olive oil by the vat, and tapenade by the scoop, as well as fabrics and brocante (collectibles). There's a smaller version Saturday morning.

Interior design is a niche market in this region of summer homes, so decor shops abound, not only featuring Provençal pottery and fabrics but also a cosmopolitan blend of Asian fabrics, English garden furniture, and Italian high-design items. Individual artisans fill gallery-style boutiques with their photography, picture frames, and wrought-iron furniture. The common denominator is high here, so good taste has stonewalled tourist kitsch.

The colorful markets in Arles, with produce, regional products, clothes, fabrics, wallets, frying pans, and other miscellaneous items, take place every Saturday morning along the Boulevard des Lices, which flows into the Boulevard Clemenceau. On the first Wednesday of the month there's a brocante market, where you can find antiques and collectibles, many of them regional.

Beaucaire's picturesque markets are held Thursday and Sunday mornings in front of the Hôtel de Ville (produce) and along the Canal du Rhône à Sète (dry goods), with boats bobbing alongside the fabric stands.

Aix is a very snazzy market town, and unlike the straightforward, country-fair atmosphere of nearby Aubagne, a trip to the market here is a foodie's delight, with rarefied, high-end delicacies shoulder to shoulder with garlic braids. You'll find fine olive oils from the Pays d'Aix (Aix region), barrels glistening with olives of every hue and blend, and vats of tapenade (crushed olive, caper, and anchovy paste). Melons, asparagus, and mesclun salad are piled high, and dried sausages bristling with Provençal herbs hang from stands. A food and produce market takes place every morning on Place Richelme; just up the street on Place Verdun is a good, high-end brocante (collectibles) market Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings.

In addition to its old-style markets and jewel-box candy shops, Aix is a dazzlingly sophisticated modern shopping town—perhaps the best in Provence. The winding streets of the Vieille Ville above Cours Mirabeau—focused around Rue Clemenceau, Rue Marius Reinaud, Rue Espariat, Rue Aude, Rue Fabrot, and Rue Maréchal Foch —have a plethora of goods, from high-end designer clothes such as Sonia Rykiel, Escada, and Yves Saint Laurent, to Max Mara, Laura Ashley, and The Gap.

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