The chain boutique Souleiado, 19 rue Joseph-Verne (tel. 04-90-86-32-05), sells reproductions of 18th- and 19th-century Provençal fabrics by the meter or made into clothing and linens. It is also has a large selection of housewares and gifts.
Hervé Baume, 19 rue Petite Fusterie (tel. 04-90-86-37-66), is the place to buy a Provençal table—or something to put on it. A massive inventory includes French folk art and hand-blown hurricane lamps. Jaffier-Parsi, 42 rue des Fourbisseurs (tel. 04-90-86-08-85), is known for copper saucepans from the Norman town of Villedieu-les-Poêles, which has been making them since the Middle Ages.
For fresh reading material, Camili Books and Tea, 155 rue de la Carreterie (www.camili-booksandtea.com, (tel) 04-90-27-38-50), stocks close to 20,000 books, most of them used. There’s also a tea room and free Wi-Fi on site.
In Avignon, foodie souvenirs are delightfully thick on the ground. Head over to Le Comptoir de Mathilde, 32 rue de la Balance (www.lecomptoirdemathilde.com; (tel) 04-90-85-44-52), for olive tapenade, local olive oils, Herbes de Provence mustard, and flaky Guérande sea salt, as well as plenty of free tastings. Pâtisserie Mallard, 22 rue Vieux
Sextier; (tel) 04-90-82-42-38), makes the hard-to-find local specialty les papalines d’Avignon. Dark chocolate is coated in a pink, “thistle”-like pink chocolate, then filled with Origan du Comat liquor, the latter created from 60 local plants and produced by Maison Blachère, Provence’s oldest distillery.
A covered market with 40 different merchants is Les Halles, pl. Pie, open Tuesday through Sunday (6am–1:30pm weekdays and 6am-2pm weekends). The flower market is on place des Carmes on Saturday (8am–1pm), and the flea market occupies the same place each Sunday morning (6am–1pm).
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
