Sunday, September 29th - Day 19 - Monteux - Ancient Town's Annual Market
Day 18 Monteux - Discovered by serendipity!
Our Airbnb host suggested visiting the village of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, about 3/4 hr away, where a large, popular market is held on Sunday mornings. Sounded good to us. As we set out in bright sunshine, we decided not to take the highway as our GPS directed, but to go via one of the back roads. Along the way, we drove through the village of Monteux where we noticed an outdoor market with a small band playing. The town was ancient - very picturesque - so we stopped to check it out. Lo and behold the village was celebrating its once-a-year market with vendors in all its little streets. What a happening spot! We ended up spending the whole day visiting the vendor stalls and wandering around. Great example of "Soak and Poke" travel.
From the guidebook: Monteux appears in history from the eleventh century with the construction of its castle. In the 1300s, Pope Clement V chose Avignon as his place of residence, but stayed at Monteux to rest. At the time, Monteux was surrounded by ramparts, about ten meters high. The castle was almost completely destroyed by a fire in 1415 and today only the dungeon remains called Tour Clementine in honor of Pope Clement V.
Today the village is the home of artists and craftsmen who have ateliers in the historic center - painting, mosaic, sculpture, stained glass, pottery, basketwork, and more. This area is known as "The Crossing of the Arts." The studios have "open doors" one day a month for visitors to meet the artists and see their work. This annual day of celebration was fantastic!
