saint-remy-market-smallProvence is not exactly short of street markets but the very large and varied one on Wednesday morning in Saint Rémy is renowned as exceptional.

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The gallery of images below was shot on a bright mid-May morning with the market in full sway and nobody at all deterred by the fierce Mistral wind blowing.

The stalls spill from the rue de la République just on the edge of Saint Rémy down into the winding alleys and shady squares of the old town. They offer traditional and more unusual crafts as well as clothes, shoes and a huge range of fresh local produce.

The merchants will vary slightly from week to week, but you're likely to find everything olive here, from olive oil, miniature olive trees, olive wood bowls and chopping boards and, of course, the olives themselves.

They're not really authentic regional produce, but we couldn't resist the wooden frogs and other animals, all ingeniously carved to make the appropriate sound when you rub or shake them.

Food-wise there is everything: honey, saucissons (including such unusual ones as ostrich, donkey and goat), fruit and veg, chunks of cheese cut for you to order from enormous rounds, brightly coloured flavoured vinegar and the new season's purple garlic, if you go in spring.

The market runs on Wednesdays from around 7am to 1pm. Be sure to arrive very early if you are travelling by car or be prepared to park well away from the centre.

Insider tip for parking in Saint Remy de ProvenceYou stand a good chance of finding a (free) parking space in the Parking de la Libération, on the avenue de la Libération.

markets of provence smallIt's on the road out of Saint Rémy, just to the east of the centre and about a eight-ten minute walk from the main market area. Click here to read our full guide to Saint Rémy de Provence.

And finally, Markets of Provence is a comprehensive new guide to exactly that by the American travel writer Marjorie R Williams.

It's a survey of the best markets all across the region with interviews, background featurettes and useful tips and you can buy a copy on Amazon here. Click here to read our full review.

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