The Sunday market along the Sorgue

Fruit, flowers and baskets among the stalls

Beneath the awnings, crates of fruit line the passage. Chalkboards announce prices; the colours of the fruit stand out against the shade. The market combines fresh produce with cheeses, cured meats and olives, as well as fabrics, hats and clothes.

Bouquets standing on the flower stall catch the attention of passers-by. Customers gather around the buckets and colourful bunches, while others continue between the stalls.

From the waterside to the church square

Leaving the quays, stalls extend into the streets of the old town. Awnings hide the lower façades, but the collegiate church’s doorway appears above the clothes rails. The market crosses the town without obscuring all its landmarks.

The street opens onto Place de la Liberté, at the foot of Notre-Dame-des-Anges. Stalls spread in front of the church façade and continue into neighbouring streets. After the narrow passages, the square gives more room to take in the stalls and surrounding houses.

The Sorgue reappears between the stalls

Around a bend in the streets, a canal and then the quays lead back to the Sorgue. Between two stalls, an opening reveals the current; from a bridge, the banks and trees come back into view. Water returns to the walk after the passage through the old town.

On Sundays, the outing can also continue to the antiques market on Avenue des Quatre-Otages. This is a separate market devoted to antiques and old objects, distinct from the fruit, flower and clothing stalls explored here.

A floating market inspired by Bangkok

In L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, the market sometimes leaves the quays for the river. After a trip to Thailand, René Légier had the idea of adapting Bangkok’s floating markets to the nègo-chin, the Sorgue’s traditional boats. During this summer event, fruit, vegetables and bouquets are loaded aboard, and traders meet the public gathered along the banks.

Continue the outing along the Sorgue

After the market, the quays and canals lead to the water wheels of L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, witnesses to its manufacturing past. Mills and workshops used the power of the current that now accompanies the walk.

Upstream from the town, the Partage des Eaux shows where the Sorgue divides into two branches. Further on, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse brings you back to the river at the foot of its cliff.