Apt

Actively ugly from a distance, with a rash of modern apartment blocks and industrial buildings, Apt doesn’t attract the tourism it deserves. Its central Vieille Ville, with tight, narrow streets shaded with noble stone houses and strings of fluttering laundry, seethes with activity. The best time to visit is Saturday, when the town buzzes with a vibrant Provençal market, selling crafts, clothing, carpets, jewelry, and—not incidentally—all the finest food products of the Luberon and Haute-Provence.