Wandering the Outdoor Markets in Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue

Among the charms of Provence are the local products -- from fabrics to foods -- and a good place to see them all on display is the town of Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue. As its name might suggest, it’s on the Sorgue River, and the town center is surrounded by canals, leading to its reputation as “The Venice of Provence.” On Sundays the town is dominated by an open-air market, where we had an opportunity to browse, take photos of, and in some cases purchase, the local products.

Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue is about a half-hour bus ride from our hotel in Avignon, and on the ride we learned about the town’s history. It was one of three towns in Provence that were owned by the Catholic Church in the 14th century, when the papacy was based in Avignon instead of Rome. Long ago, Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue had about 70 wooden water wheels, used for wool, silk, and paper making. Nine of the original water wheels are still there. The town also has a 17th-century church, the Notre-Dame-des-Anges, which was designed in the Baroque style and which has 222 representations of angels throughout.

On the way to Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue we passed through the village of Le Thor, where American Pierre Salinger made his home in his later years. Salinger, you may remember, was White House press secretary under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, and later was a correspondent for ABC News. His mother was French, and Salinger lived in France several times during his life; in 2000 he moved to Le Thor, and for the next several years he was a popular news analyst on French TV. He died here in 2004, and the village now has a museum in his honor.

Farther down the road is Luberon, the home of Peter Mayle, the British-born author who wrote the bestseller A Year in Provence, along with A Good Year and a number of other books. There was a time when tour buses would regularly go out of their way to go past his house, but he didn’t appreciate that, as you can imagine. So now the buses stay away.

In Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue itself, after visiting the church, the Penn State travelers wandered the outdoor markets. You could do your grocery shopping here, if only taking it back in your luggage wouldn’t be so messy: Strawberries are in season, as are radishes and white asparagus, all artfully presented in photogenic displays. There also are stands displaying olives, sausages, fish, cheeses, melons, and Clementine oranges, among other foods. Sachets of lavender are everywhere, as are antiques, pottery, colorful fabrics, and fragrant and colorful soaps. A few of the Penn State travelers bought olive oils or tapenades to take home as gifts; others bought posters, art prints, or postcards.

In the afternoon we’ll have some free time in Avignon -- our last day here -- and then after that we travel to Nice, along the French Riviera, where we’ll be based for the last five days of the trip. On the way to Nice we’ll visit the town of Aix-en-Provence, which will be the subject of my next post.

Photos

Penn State traveler Jan Meyer checks out the soaps for sale at the market in Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue. The most common soap by far in Provence is lavender, but there's also cannelle orange ("cannelle" is the French word for cinnamon), lemon, almond, verbena, rose, and many others.

In the town of Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue, in Provence, a weekly market draws people shopping for everything from antiques to textiles to food. This particular stand was one of several offering fresh olives for sale.

Colorful pottery is everywhere in Provence, as evidenced by this stand at the market in Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue.

A floral shop in the lovely town of Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue.