The Art of the Hunt: Monthly Brocante in Éygalières

"Tout ce qui est grand, tout ce qui est beau, nous vient de la lumière." - Frederic Mistral

 "Everything great, everything beautiful, comes to us from the light."

In Éygalières, the objects don't just sit on tables; they wait to be rediscovered. This is the heart of what moves me about visiting markets like this .. finding "des objets habités" - pieces that have already lived many lives and are choosing you for their next chapter in your home.

The Éygalières brocante is the last Sunday of every month. It's more intimate than L'Isle sur la Sorgue's antiques market and shops, yet only thirty minutes away. Located in a perfect Provençal town that's one of the "Plus Beaux Villages de France", it's known for residents who value privacy and understated luxury.

That's why I'm often surprised to find well-priced treasures at this discreet market. Yes, you will find very high-end quality pieces. This market is definitely shopped by serious collectors and dealers. Many visitors are quietly stylish, with an old-money vibe. But I always leave Éygalières with a "petit coup de foudre", that lightning bolt of an object that insists on going home with me.

Perched on the edge of the Alpilles, Éygalières' name comes from the Latin "aqualeria", the place that collects water. Just outside of town you'll pass the Romanesque 12th century Chappelle Saint-Sixte. Stop, look around, talk to your long-dead grandfather who encouraged your love of art and architecture (like me), or whoever inspired you to a love of France. At the top of the old village, you'll see the ruins of a 13th century castle and a 17th century clock tower, the Tour de l'Orloge.

Frederic Mistral, the Nobel Prize-winning poet who rescued the Provençal language from obscurity and revived the literary and cultural identity of the South of France, was born 10 minutes from here in Maillane.

Visiting Éygalières

When: Last Sunday of the month of every month. In good weather, it's packed and there are at least a hundred if not two hundred vendors. In dead off-season January, amidst clouds and rain, there were more than fifty vendors, and it was still well worth visiting.

The Strategy: Arrive early for the best finds; arrive later in the day for negotiating power. In busy season, early might be 7-8am and late might be 2-4pm. In the slow season, it starts a little later and ends a little earlier. Leave yourself time to wander a few side streets.

Lunch Spot: For people-watching at the brocante, Le Progrès or Café de la Place. For feeling like you belong, Chez Paulette.

Pro Tip: Stop at the Dépôt Vente of Mollégès, 44 Route de Saint-Remy on your way home, it's often open on the last Sunday even if Google says it's not.

My coup de foudre from this visit

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