We will be in Provence in 2 weeks. Any advice on the best places to buy santons?

There were tacky ones for sale in all the tourist shops. I had the address of a third generation craftsman in Arles and I hate to say it but even though I watched him creating the pieces it was hard to find one I really liked any better. I kept looking wherever we went and eventually chose a man leaning into the mistral, with a blowing cloak, for the outskirts of our Christmas village! Guidebooks will have the information of the "genuine" shops- but santons are everywhere. A truly moving experience was the Arlatan museum in Arles, and the santon displays were incredible and in context.

You will find santons all over Provence; the trick is to find good-quality ones. As a start, be sure that the color of the faces and hands are identical; then look for fine details on the facial expressions.

There is a large shop in the village at Les Baux that carries a good variety of santons. If you want some of the best, go to the Carbonel atelier in Marseille and watch the artisans crafting the figures; there's also an excellent museum of santons, both Italian and French, to be visited.

The town of Aubagne is famous for its santons, and there are a number of other towns and villages where artisans work. One to check out is Paradou, where there is a quite large santon museum and a good gift shop.

In Nyons, head up the main street from the central parking lot. A few blocks up turn right when you reach a mini-pedestrian mall. On the right-hand side is a fine gift shop, a few doors along, that carries high-quality santons, along with olive-wood creations, Provençal fabric items, and Provençal clothing.

There are two kinds of santons: painted and clothed. The painted variety are typically used in Christmas crèches, while the clothed figures, of varying sizes, are more for year-round display.

Our French friends tell us that the image of a shepherd leaning into the wind typifies Provence. The best way of all to hunt good santons is to be in Provence during December, when many artisanal fairs are held. Those allow you to see a representative selection of santons from assorted artisans and to compare the workmanship.

I've always picked my santons by their faces. You must have at least one that looks like Yves Montand!

Just wanted to say I purchased my two lovely Santons in Arles over 10 yrs. ago They stand 10 1/2 inches tall. Am very pleased with the workmanship of this artist as these peasants' facial features are defined to the tee including their wardrobe. They have been a joy to look at after all these years and a wonderful reminder of our fabulous "Grand Tour" throughout France.

Francie

There's a nice store right on the square in Aigue-Mortes with nice quality santons.

bookmarking - thank you.

Santons Fouque 65, cours Gambetta, Aix en Provence,Tel: 04 42 26 33 38

Santons Cavasse Villa Mireille, 32, Avenue Jean Moulin, 13100 Aix en Provence,
Tel: 04 42 21 16 62

Santons Richard 955, Chemin Bouenhoure Haut, 13090 Aix en Provence,
Tel : 04 42 20 10 15

Santons Jouve: 2, Allée du Capricorne, 13080 Luynes, Tel : 04 42 24 01 40

Santons Didier 41 rue Léon Bourgeois, 13001 Marseille, Tel: 04 91 64 72 92

Santons Marcel Carbonel 49, Rue Neuve Sainte Catherine, 13007 Marseille,
Tel: 04 91 13 61 36

Santons Escoffier1 44 Rue du Vallat, Les Paluds, 13782 Aubagne Tel: 04 42 70 14 32