Population: 6,340
Elevation: 240 meters
Department: Var

One of our best experiences on this trip occurred in Lorgues. We took a self-guided walking tour of the old fortified town, which dates back to the eleventh century. Much of its ancient walls and gates remain intact, and there are numerous stone carvings on the buildings and doorways. As we photographed an ancient doorway, two women stopped to ask what we were doing. Each lived in the old town, one for all of her eighty years. Delighted that we would take such an interest in their village, they spent almost an hour showing us around the old town, pointing out doors, windows and other pieces of architecture that dated back many centuries. They spoke no English but we managed to communicate fairly well. The tour they gave us was much more interesting, and certainly more memorable, than the one in the brochure.

We arrived in Lorgues on market day, one of the largest and most varied markets of any we visited. It is set along Boulevard Georges Clemenceau and Cours de la Republic, each lined with stately plane trees, and features the many oils and wines produced in the region.