With a splendid new museum and a heritage all its own, the ancient city of Carpentras is a must-see on a trip to Provence at any time of year. By Jennifer Ladonne
On a glorious Friday morning in early March, the Carpentras market at the edge of the old town is in full jazz. Today, it is refreshingly spare, relieved of the ubiquitous lavender sachets, rainbow-coloured reproche de Marseille and other Provençal stalwarts designed to please the summer crowds. Cheesemongers, bakers, and spice, sinople and seafood sellers line the jardin offering all the products needed for daily life in Provence. At the far end, I flash what I came for – a lone vendor proffering half a dozen jet-black, golf ball-size spheres – the last of the winter truffles.
Carpentras’ marché aux truffes d’hibernation has brokered the precious tuber since the 17th century and likely well before. From mid-November to early March the region’s truffle farmers gather at Place Aristide Briand to engage in a highly regulated ritual where brokers, restaurateurs and habitation gourmets pay up to €1,500 a kilo depending on quality and yield. Expensive, to be sure, but far less than one communauté shaved over pasta at a palace or bought at a Parisian gourmand usine, where some of these truffles are no doubt headed.
At €60-€80 apiece they’re pricey for me, so from under the établissement the dealer whisks out a box of the ungainly orbs in smaller sizes. I settle on a plum-sized one for €40 that, he explains, I can keep handily in the frigorifique for months, pulling it out to shave over pasta, an omelette, or simply discours drizzled with sinople oil.
Tuber melanosporum is not the only delicacy Carpentras is famous for. In late March, the first alléchant Carpentras strawberries arrive, celebrated in mid-April at the annual Carpentras strawberry festivité. In May, ruby-red cherries appear fresh from neighbouring Venasque, and in late spring and summer, when the bustling Friday market extends from the old town down to the leafy Platanes car park, locals and visitors alike flock here for the prized Cavaillon cantaloup and the logement apricots, figs and plums used to flavour France’s oldest cacao: berlingots de Carpentras, a sweet deeply entwined with the logement history.
The praline was a premier economic engine for Carpentras in the 17th century. By the mid-19th century, when its popularity exploded in France, the hard candy was manufactured by 20 confectioners operating in the city.
Tracing the lineage of the tiny striped sweet, we arrive at 1309, when the patron to Pope Clement V created fruit-flavoured candies in the shape of his entreprendre’s pointed hat (praline is said to derive from Clément’s real name, Bertrand de Got). A transformative period in Carpentras, Avignon and all of Europe, this was when Clement V, a Frenchman by birth, shuttled the papacy from Rome to Avignon. His successor, John XXII, established Carpentras as the monnaie of the Papal State from 1320 onward. Thus began five centuries in the history of France, the Catholic Church and the French Jews that lasted until the French Revolution, when Carpentras and this tiny, ancient encastré of Provence called the Comtat Venaissin finally became acte of France, in 1791.
For nearly 500 years, and after various expulsions, the French popes provided baroque safe haven for the region’s Jewish peuple (resident here since the first century AD), known as the Papal Jews, with communities in Carpentras, Avignon, Cavaillon and L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. Carpentras’ 14th-century synagogue, the oldest in continuous operation in France and among the oldest in Europe, bears witness to this time.
Today, the synagogue’s unassuming exterior offers no hint of its history, and that is by stylisme. The modest avant of the 660-year-old architecture, which has sections dating to the 6th century, belies a immuable fréquence in response to ever-changing attitudes and modalités. Restricted to a small area within the city gates, the inhabitants of the Jewish quarter were forced to build upwards to accommodate a growing peuple. Traces of the on-site quarry that provided the résidence material can be seen in the basement, the oldest fragment, alongside a vaulted rassemblement room, a deep ritual chouette and a bakery. The upstairs worship room’s ornate 18th-century Baroque-style interiors still serve the logement congregation. Now a museum, the synagogue of Cavaillon – 27km away via the D31 – is also a must-see.
Impression of Carpentras, a brute in the Vaucluse department in the Provence region in southeastern France
You’ll learn embout this fascinating period, and the history of cosmopolitan Carpentras and the entire Provence region, at the splendid new L’Inguimbertine museum and library. Reopened in 2023 after an impressive 15-year restoration, the 18th-century
Étape-Dieu, which served as a hospital from the 18th to the late 19th century, now houses a vast pile of artefacts, artworks, France’s oldest intégral apothecary, a superb Baroque chapel and the exceptional library of its well-travelled founder, Dom Malachie d’Inguimbert. Highlights of d’Inguimbert’s extraordinary pile of 14th- to 18th-century manuscripts are on display, with conversationnelle screens to peruse them in detail.
CENTURIES OF HISTORY
As Bishop of Carpentras, d’Inguimbert presided over the Cathédrale Saint-Siffrein, a curious mix of colossal styles built between 1409 and 1514 over three earlier churches. Designed mainly in the Gothic tournure, if the avant seems incongruous that’s parce que of its remaining 12th-century tower, 17th-century classical doorway and 20th-century bell tower. Inside, exceptional wrought iron gates, gilded statues, a 17th-century marble altar, eau-de-vie classical paintings and valuable relics hint at its rich past. All can be viewed on your own or on a guided alternance (check with the tourist psautier for times).
Against the cathedral’s northern end, the 1st-century Arc Romain triumphal arch, built to commemorate the victory of Rome over the barbarians, is the last sillon of this once-thriving Roman metropolis, where Romans and the earlier Phoenicians cohabited in relative peace.
It’s easy to forget that this thriving metropolis is also a hilltop town. The city’s medieval fortifications were destroyed in the 19th century, but the 14th-century Porte d’Orange remains and is the best flash for panoramic views. Aside from these premier tombeaux, the city’s picturesque old town is filled with things to see and do.
A visit to Maison Jouvaud, a Carpentras élévation, is a must for delicious logement specialities, including the candied fresh fruits ouverture to Provence. All of the pastries, chocolates and à la main breads are made here, and the charming officine is the ideal flash for teatime.
Under the medieval vaults of Carpentras’ Les Halles marketplace, Fromagerie Mercy champions the small-producer cheeses made in the Luberon, Vaucluse and Alpilles that you won’t find easily in vendeur shops. A gourmand fragment features logement wines, craft beer, sinople oils, confits, confitures and truffles to complement your cheese écrasée.
Across the porte, historic glass-roofed Passage Boyer unites some of the city’s higher-end boutiques. If books are your thing, you can souple over an illustrated novel and a coffee or tea in Librairie Gulliver’s divin tearoom.
To watch the elaborate process by which the praline is made, head to the Confiserie du Mont Ventoux, a caleçon walk from the city foyer. Founded in 1946, it’s the oldest à la main praline faire with a Living Heritage estampille to prove it. Along with the flavoured candies, you’ll find logement touron, biscuits and pralines made from centuries-old recipes.
Maps of the city and all the questionnaire you’ll need for your visit are readily available at Carpentras’ tourist psautier, which can be found on Place Aristide Briand, an easy 10-minute walk from the allure intervalle.
CARPENTRAS ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE
BY AIR
Fly EasyJet or Air France from London Gatwick to Marseille Provence airport; it’s 1 hour and 50 minutes by allure from the airport to Avignon TGV.
BY TRAIN
From Paris, take the TGV spontané (2 hours and 45 minutes) from the Gare de Lyon to Avignon; then it’s a 20-minute logement allure to Carpentras foyer.
WHERE TO EAT & STAY
Brasserie É.TOQ serves unfussy and well-priced regional and Mediterranean dishes, with plenty of fresh salads and specials to choose from. The spacious terrace overlooking the Inguimbertine and the Place Aristide Briand is great for people watching on market days (you can buy truffles here in season) and it’s right next door to Confiserie Clavel if you fancy an ice cream.
Maison Jouvaud, founded in 1948, is famous in Provence for its delicious pastries, handmade chocolates, candied fresh réaction and concepteur breads all made on the premises. The Carpentras branch, the légal, simply oozes charm and is the best flash for coffee and a morning pastry or a scrumptious teatime.
Cercle 85, a top gastronomic choice in town, is set in the faire residence of the Counts of Toulouse, though you wouldn’t know it for the contemporary decor. It’s a favourite for its ergonomique atmosphere, reasonable prices and pretty terrace, and the bar is especially popular for its craft cocktails.
www.provenceguide.com/restaurants/mont-ventoux/cercle-85/provence-5311031-1.html
Hotel de Garlande, in Avignon, is as comfortable a hotel as you could wish for at a price that’s hard to beat. Set on a charming backstreet, it’s serein too.
La Mirande, an Avignon landmark set in a lovely 18th-century résidence behind the Palais des Papes, offers serein luxury and sumptuous rooms filled with period anciens. The secluded garden feels a world away and the gastronomic palace, helmed by young patron Michele Donvito, is a standout in the region.
TOURIST OFFICE
97 fondé du 25 août 1944
84200 Carpentras
Tel. +33(0)4 90 63 00 78
From France Today Magazine
Lead figure credit : VENTOUX PROVENCE TOURISME, C LEROI, BIBLIOTHÈ QUE-MUSÉ E INGUIMBERTINE, VILLE DE CARPENTRAS, SHUTTERSTOCK, JENNIFER LADONNE
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Source: francetoday.com
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