A Perfect Day Out for Pottery Lovers

If you find yourself near the Pont du Gard and Uzes—and you like ceramics—then definitely spend a few hours meandering the cobbled streets of this ancient village, home to 3,000 people and 23 gallery/studio/shops (ateliers céramiques) at last count. In many of them, you can chat up the artists, watch them at work and of course, buy their wares. 

St. Quentin has been known for pottery since the 14^th century, due to the quality of the clay sub-soil. In the 14^th century, more than 110,000 glazed earthenware tiles were made here, for the decoration of the Palais des Papes in Avignon. Large-scale production continued for hundreds of years but the last brick factory closed its doors in 1954. Today ceramicists and glass makers continue the artistic tradition.

From the practical (bowls, platters, pitchers) to the highly decorative, you’ll see porcelain, varnished and enameled sandstone (grès), raku, faïence and all types of sculpture. You can get a studio list and map from the Tourist Office or see it in PDF here...or just wander the pretty streets and explore.

St. Quentin hosts special events throughout the year including the large annual festival of European ceramics called Terralha (July 11 to 14, 2014), which draws roughly 100 exhibitors and thousands of visitors.  This year will be the 30^th annual and if you want to apply to enter and show your work, click here.

Another nice event is the Tournée du Père Noël in December, when the studios are all open, demos are held and guest sculptors are featured along with local artists. You’ll be welcomed in each studio with vin chaud, cookies and holiday cheer. 

The Musée de la Poterie Mediterranéenne is worth a visit too; it's located in an ancient oil mill (04 66 05 65 86, terres.de.mediterrannee@wanadoo.fr). Discounted tickets are sometimes available on their Facebook page.

St. Quentin’s weekly market is Friday mornings, with lots of fresh produce, local foods and a bit of pottery too, of course. It’s not as big as the Saturday market in nearby Uzes but it’s popular and crowded so arrive early to find parking. 

Many of St. Quentin's studios are now on winter hours and some are closed, at least during the week. So you might want to plan your visit for a bit later in the year.

Pottery lessons are available year round for kids and adults at the Atelier Terre in the center of the village.  Or you can take weekend,  four-day or week-long raku classes at the studio of FrançoisMandin (06 87 47 07 14, contact@francoismandin.com). Marie-Claire Saint Jevin teaches pottery and enamel classes and offers lodging to students.

Professional pottery training is available from the Centre de Formation Apprentis des Métiers des Arts Céramiques. This organization uses small classes and stages to train students for diplomas in the métier de la céramique. More information is on the CFA - Métiers Céramiques website.

A nearby attraction is an ancient quarry where the Romans chiseled out millstones. It’s in the hills, 4 km north of the center of St. Quentin. There’s good info on it in English here…or ask at the Tourist Office.

Where to eat? There are a few cute restaurants and tea shops in town. My friends and I chose Le Café des Potiers (#23, rue de la Fontaine,  04 66 57 66 10)  and were lucky to get a table; it was packed with all sorts of colorful artsy looking types,  everyone merrily chatting table to table. Breakfast and tea are served too, but at lunch you eat the plat du jour and pay one set price for a starter, main course, salad and dessert. My friends and I loved the place: the quirky warren of smallish rooms, the local art and pottery scattered about, the super friendly service, the tiny table for kids. They have special exhibits, live music and other events. Hours are 9 am to 6 pm; no dinner. 

For more info on St. Quentin,  contact the Tourist Office, at 15 rue du Docteur Blanchard, 04 66 22 74 38. 

St. Quentin is just a few kilometers from Uzes. If you’re approaching from the south, stop at the fabulous Le Sabot Rouge (between the Pont du Gard and Uzes), a large indoor/outdoor antique shop/brocante specializing in architectural salvage, wrought iron, restoration, old hardware  and “objets de curiosité.” My friends found exactly what they were looking for: four antique wrought-iron bistro chairs that needed just a bit of paint. (Good work on the bargaining, Jerry!) Le Sabot Rouge is open seven days a week, year round. You’ll find it on the rond-point where the D981 meets the D603 (which is also called the Chemin de Chateau or rue du Chateau).  The address is #1, rue du Chateau, 30210 Argilliers, 06 80 08 53 09, 04 66 22 95 32, lesabotrouge.com.  The pretty church on the property is private and not open for visits.

My Irish friend Mary Dowey, a food-and-wine writer, spends part of the year in Uzes and she knows the local dining scene well. She says the best restaurants around continue to be La Table 2 Julien (in Montaren) and La Maison (in Gaujac); she also likes the new version of Le Tracteur (between Uzes and Argilliers). 

Photos: 1. All roads lead to pottery in St. Quentin! 2. Reindert Overduin at work in his studio at 3, rue du Philiquier. 3. My friends and I loved the beautiful tableware and very-warm welcome at the gallery owned by Lilou Milcent-Gallot and her husband Philippe. 4. At another shop, we bought pretty olive-oil jugs; they come in a nice range of colors. 5. The atelier Kaolin Ceramique (#1 Place Horloge) shows the work of multiple artists; this piece is by Alexandra Hajek. 6. Raku bowl by Denis Grazon. 7. The Tourist Office will give you this guide/map or just poke around the village.  8. You can also ask them when the next braderie or pottery market is (photo courtesy of objectifgard.com). 9. At Le Cafe de Potiers, the crowd is local, artsy and colorful...and everyone eats the plat du jour. 10, 11: A visit to Le Sabot Rouge is like poking around in your French granny's barn. You'll know it when you see the red shoe/slipper thingie, which apparently is meant to be a sabot. (My dictionary says a sabot is a heavy work shoe...or a leather shoe with a wooden sole...or shoe made from a single block of wood...) 12. How to get here.

Nature and Nurture: Les Lodges en Provence

Opened in July, 2013, this new "five star holiday park" in the Drôme Provençale (Upper Vaucluse) is called Les Lodges en Provence. Sitting in an old 3.5-hectare (8.6 acre) grove of truffle oak trees,  surrounded by vineyards and fields of lavender, it offers a unique,  eco-friendly lodging option combining the comfort and services of a hotel, the privacy of a holiday rental and the back-to-nature vibe of camping. People have been known to call this idea ''glamping''--meaning glamorous camping. love it! The property is open year round.

The 50 lodges (19 wood and 31 wood and tent) were built entirely from natural materials and range from 20 to 30 square meters. Each is integrated thoughtfully into the site, on a private plot. Lodges are fully equipped (bathrooms, open kitchens with fridge, cooker, microwave and coffee machine) and simply decorated. Four have private Jacuzzis; others have tv, phone, wifi, heating and air conditioning. The wood lodges are accessible for people with reduced mobility; others are designed for families, with two bedrooms, a big bed, bunk beds and a foldout sofa. Bed and bath linens are provided for all.

Owner Richard Cavalezy spent 25 years as a manager in the food industry (Groupe Agro Alimentaire) before transitioning to the restaurant business and now into vacation lodging. Born and raised in Nimes, he spent 15 years in Lyon ("City of Gastronomy!" he proclaims) and chose this part of Provence for its agricultural bounty: truffles in winter,  grapes in the autumn, fruits and veg in spring and summer. "I really wanted to develop a food/restaurant concept based upon authenticity and nature," he told me, "and the lodging came after that, but in the same natural and authentic spirit."

The bar/restaurant at Les Lodges is also open year round, with menus created to celebrate seasonal ingredients and local wines. In summer, La Paillotte Grill specializes in barbecued, grilled and rotisserie items and pizza. Room service and takeaway are available.

Other amenities include small and large pools, a sports field and a spa with sauna, hammam, Jacuzzi, massothermy table, toning shower and massage services. Outdoor activities such as quad-biking with a guide and guided Nordic hikes can easily be arranged.

Les Lodges is also available for business meetings, seminars and team-building for groups of up to 60; your group can take multiple lodges or the whole property can be privatized. 

Les Lodges is located 2.5 km from the town of Richerenches, 34 km from Montelimar and 70 km from Avignon. Rates for 2014 range from €700 to €1330 per week.

Les Lodges en Provence
Chemin de Bel Air
84600 Richerenches, France
T. +33 (0)4 75 00 72 33
lodges-en-provence.com 
contact@lodges-en-provence.com

*Looking for other non-traditional places to stay in the South of France? Here's info on staying in bubbles...a wide range of tree houses...a gypsy caravan...a Danish-style wooden chalet...a Mongolian yurt...a double yurt...a teepee in the Var...a teepee near the Gorges du Verdon...a log cabin...an old olive mill...a restored VW camper van...a safari style tent...a safari tent perched atop a watchtower...a restored Airstream...an old peniche/canal boat near Arles...an old peniche/canal boat facing Avignon...and an eco-pod. You're very welcome!

Richerenches Market: The Truffles I've Seen

The famous winter truffle market in the village of Richerenches continues every Saturday morning until the end of March. I went for the first time a few weeks ago and loved it. The wonderful smell of fresh truffes hits you before you even see the long row of vans, each with its own cluster of buyers behind it...everyone bundled in warm coats, patiently waiting their turn. With tens of thousands of dollars worth of tuber melanosporum changing hands, there's a hushed sense of serious excitement in the air...along with the very strong, very delicious aroma of fresh truffles. The truffles are meticulously weighed, calculations are made, cash changes hands and sacks are handed over...while gendarmes mill around very visibly, keeping an eye on everything. Most of the sellers here are courtiers en truffes, who buy direct from the trufficulteurs for the purpose of reselling. Sellers without their own vans wander the crowd, their goods tucked carefully out of sight in cloth bundles, plastic bags or market baskets. 

At the Saturday truffle market in Richerenches you can also buy truffle-oak saplings, kitchen gadgets to ease truffle handling and even a truffle hound...I saw one very sweet one in a cage, looking a bit forlorn that he wasn't running around the market in the sunshine like all the other dogs. Other vendors sell locally grown produce, charcuterie, olives and olive oils, soaps in delicious scents, nougat and other sweets. It's all very colorful, very authentic and very Provencal.  (Other truffle activities appear below.)

Statistics are a bit hard to come by but the Richerenches truffle market is said to be the largest in France and maybe even Europe. It sells both wholesale and retail and many top chefs in the region shop here. I'm told that 50% of the truffle transactions in Southeast France happen here...accounting for 30% of all the truffles that change hands in France...and that the Vaucluse (one of the six departments in the Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur region) produces 70 percent of all the truffles in France.

All morning long on market day, people pop in and out of the Etablissement Cafe, for warming drinks and truffle talk. The intoxicating smell wafts in with them and, by this time, is probably permanently embedded in the walls. By 11:30 the market crowds have dwindled and the Etablissement is packed.

After you've done your marketing, move on to a truffled-omelette lunch at the Town Hall/Salle des Fêtes, just a few doors down from the Etablissement Cafe. You'll sit with strangers but no doubt become fast friends, thanks to the Kir that kicks off the meal and the serve-yourself bottles of Côtes du Rhône on every table. The 21€ price includes a salad, a creamy omelette with shaved truffles, bread, dessert, coffee, wine...and lots of juicy local gossip. These lunches fill up quickly so call ahead to reserve  (04 90 28 05 34)...and you can see more details here. There's also an outdoor summer version; the Tourist Office can tell you when it is.

The Richerenches truffle market takes place on Avenue de la Rabasse (Rabasse is Provencal for truffle) and on Cours du Mistral.  It runs every Saturday morning, mid November to the end of March, from 9 am to 1 pm. For info, lunch reservations and other upcoming events, contact the Tourist Office at  04 90 28 05 34 or visit their website in English here. 

Want more truffles? I work with people based in Richerenches and nearby who can offer you a wide range of truffle experiences including workshops, tastings, market visits, truffles walks, truffle hunts and more.

Truffles Elsewhere in Provence...

There's another truffle market in Carpentras, Friday mornings at 9 am,  from mid November to mid March, at the Hotel-Dieu. But you have to get there early: the whistle blows at 9 am to mark the start and it lasts only as long as the truffles do, or until there are no more buyers, which means it's usually over in an hour or so. (Get info from the Tourist Office: 04 90 63 00 78 or click here.) Afterwards, have lunch or dinner at Chez Serge, where truffles are the star of the menu this time of year. (Truffle pizza? Yes, please!)

Two other restaurants that specialize in truffles are Chez Bruno in Lorgues in the Var, where you'll encounter a serious, decadent use of truffles in just about every dish including the famous truffled scrambled eggs known as brouillade (Lorgues, 04 94 85 93 93, contact@bruno.fr, restaurantbruno.com) and La Beaugraviere in Mondragon, on the N7 north of Orange, where you can indulge in one truffle dish or an entire truffle tasting menu...and an award-winning wine list packed with Rhône vintages (beaugraviere.com, reservation@beaugraviere.com, 04 90 40 82 54).

In the Luberon, the village of Menerbes holds its annual Truffle Festival in December. For info on next year's festival: 04 90 72 38 37, 04 90 72 22 05, menerbes.fr.

Also in the Luberon, you can book a truffle hunt at Les Pastras, where an English-speaking guide will take you on a foray into the Provençal countryside in search of winter or summer truffles. The hunt is followed by a tasting of assorted truffle canapés with Champagne. You can also purchase truffles here at less-than-market prices, along with Les Pastras truffle oils and olive oils. For all the info, click here.

In Gordes (Luberon), Robert Florent organizes truffle hunts with his dog Cannelle, followed by wine and a tasting of truffled toasts. You can also buy his truffles and other truffle products and, if you book ahead, possibly stay on for a meal. Truffle hunts are 200€ total, no matter the group size. The hunt with tasting is 250€. Robert works with his son Gael, who speaks some English but it's best if you speak French. To reach them: 04 90 72 11 60, 06 80 55 30 47, florent.gael@gmail.com

There's lots of great truffle info on the Vaucluse Tourism website here.

Finally, the village of Uzes will hold its 21st annual Weekend de la Truffe on Saturday and Sunday, January 18 and 19, 2014. [Note: 2015 dates are Jan 16, 17 and 18.] See the schedule (in French here) or get info from the Tourist Office, by calling 04 66 01 60 04 or on their website here. 

Photos: 1. Pierre Sauvayre lives in nearby Vaison la Romaine and loves the Richerenches Truffle Market. 2. Delicious truffled omelettes are served up on most Saturday mornings; check the schedule and be sure to reserve ahead. 3. One section of the market is devoted to wholesale only and many of the region's top chefs buy here. 4. The stall selling charcuterie does a booming business on Saturday. 5. A typical seller's rig. 6. Jean-Jacques Bousquie sells a wide range of superb homegrown apples and other produce at the market. 7. Smiley truffle vendor Thierry Vidal in the retail section of the market.  8. Rabasse is Provencal for truffle. 9. Weighing truffles for purchase, the old fashioned way. 10.  Decor on facade of a village house. 11. The market also sells tools for handling truffles. 12. The Etablissement: preferred hang out for buyers and sellers.  13. Here comes the truffle truck! 14: A sign on the Mairie boasts the village's status as one of the 100 Remarkable Sites of Good Taste, a designation honoring local foods and producers.