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Explore France Holiday Guides Lot Markets
| Markets |
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| Monday, 26 February 2007 | |
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The weekly high spot of rural society and a sensorial delight, markets are far more than somewhere to buy fresh produce.
The French word marché means food market. Foire indicates a much larger event with clothes through to plastic flowers plus the usual food market. A farmers’ market is a marché des producteurs and there are a lot in July and August. Here is a personal selection of the more interesting ones. ASSIER Monday morning, the sheep market, in the covered halles, rallying point for the modern sheep-farming fraternity. Get there early. CAHORS Wednesday and Saturday morning, picture-book market in front of the cathedral. GOURDON Tuesday and Saturday morning. The foire, every first and third Tuesday in the month, occupies the whole circular road round this hilltop town, where the ramparts once stood. GRAMAT Tuesday and Friday morning and, from May to September, Sunday. There is a good open-air antiques fair every mid-August. The wool market is still held here every year but wool now fetches so little money that the farmers would like to breed a wool-free sheep. LABASTIDE-MURAT Marché and small foire every second and fourth Monday in the month except when it falls on a Bank Holiday when it moves to Tuesday. Very cosy in this pretty old town where everyone knows everyone. Good farmers’ market every Sunday morning in July and August – sometimes with free apéritif and entertainment. LALBENQUE The famous truffle market is held here every Tuesday afternoon from December until mid-March. The market opens at 2pm on the dot, and the first half an hour is not for professionals; from 2.30pm till 3pm it is for professional buyers only. If you want to buy a truffle, arrive a little before 2pm. Some of the top foie gras houses entertain clients here. If you want lunch in a local restaurant on market day, book ahead. LIVERNON Not much of a market here but a good second hand saleroom – Latapie, a few yards from the post office – a local institution. MARTEL Wednesday and Saturday – a good way to see this lovely old town. A great wool market in summer always held on July 23. Truffle market in December and January. SAINT-GERMAIN-DU-BEL-AIR Friday morning. Excellent farmers’ market on Sunday mornings in July and August. Good for children as there are different displays every week – sheep shearing, glass blowing, horse-shoeing et al. SOUILLAC Friday morning, always a good market. VAYRAC Thursday and Saturday morning with a lively foire on the first and third Thursday of the month. |
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