One of these hosts a well-known biannual antiques fair and the other offers a monthly brocante.
Riverside setting
Twice a year, at Easter and in August, the picturesque town of L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, near Avignon in Provence, hosts a five-day antiques fair, which launched in 1966 with just 14 exhibitors.
It runs alongside the River Sorgue and in the winding streets.
For a small town, it has a high density of antiques, design and vintage shops plus contemporary art galleries grouped in ‘villages’.
Now called the International Fair for Art and Antiques and a good European trade call, the fair offers some 300- plus stands.
It runs next this year from Saturday to Wednesday, August 11-15, offering items such as vintage Provençal ceramics, glass, antique furniture, art, prints and books to around 120,000 anticipated visitors.
Historic town
Nestling in the foothills of the French Alps in Haute Savoie is the historic town of Annecy, set beside the Lac d’Annecy. The River Thiou running through the town, which is dominated by the Château d’Annecy.
On the last Saturday of every month – so August 25 this month – a 100-plus stallholder brocante runs alongside the river in Annecy’s picturesque old quarter with its cafes and bars lined along the winding streets and alleyways.
