Patricia Sands

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Tourrettes Sur Loup

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If It’s Friday, It Must Be France …

Buckle up and keep your camera ready! The drive to the medieval village of Tourrettes Sur Loup is breathtaking. Only 14 kilometres from the Côte D’Azur, it’s easy to reach and might be combined with a visit to St. Paul De Vence. Much smaller than St. Paul and far less touristy, we like to take visitors there. If you approach from the west, the moment you come around the last corner takes my breath away every time.

I can’t tell you the number of photos I’ve taken of this view. Different times of day, changing seasons, sunny, cloudy, any excuse makes it simply irresistible to my shutter mania.

Established in the 11th C, the natural setting created the fortification of the town. How did they build those towns? All by hand … it boggles my mind. The 12th C church is built on the site of a Roman temple. Don’t miss it!

The village isn’t overloaded with shops (click here for a complete list and the town’s official site … in French, but you can figure it out) and their products are truly artisanal. Le Bois D’Olivier is our favourite with beautiful olive wood products produced by hand since the 1950’s by the Dubosq family (father and now son). Simply walking into their shop is a buzz! I love the warm shades and textures of olive wood. I haven’t seen better prices or finer work anywhere. (Trust me, I’ve looked at way too much olive wood!)

Further along La Grande Rue you will find Poterie La Bergerie‘s awesome cave-like atelier where delicate ceramics are crafted and hand-painted with violet motifs.

You’ll want to pop into many of the other shops as you stroll through. Tourrettes Sur Loup has been famous for the cultivation of violets since the 1880’s.  The locally well-known Fête de Violettes is celebrated every March.

Walk down to the bottom of the village to find a panoramic view past a Roman aqueduct right down to the coast. When you’ve filled your camera chip, have a fine meal at La Médiéval, where the friendly owner fills a glass of rosé like I’ve never seen before. Check to make sure it’s open before you go.

I’ve attached a video below that gives you a bit of a tour through the village. It also shows how the Dubosq men work their magic with the olive wood.

It’s a long video so pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy!

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Le travail du bois d’olivier. Saladier artisanal…dubosqguillaume

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Comments

  1. I look forward to reading your travel log and mini-history posts every week. Living in a world full of cheap manufactured goods, I truly appreciate stuff like the olive wood bowls. Thanks for sharing.

    • I feel the same way Jen. Another reason I love this shop is that they price their work reasonably. The artisan even takes his little scrap pieces and turns them into small but delightful cutting boards or a serving piece for that special chunk of cheese. For 3 Euros ($4.50) anyone can afford that. Our kids thought they were the best souvenirs!

  2. The video was fantastic. I loved the trees at the beginning, the shapes were like something out of a fairytale, and what that guy could do with wood was out of this world. The scenery was great too, all old worldly, made me wish I was there.

  3. Oh, you’ve brought us yet another absolutely beautiful place! I’m so excited to be in France in only a couple of weeks, and I’m looking up Tourrettes Sur Loup on the map right now, to see if we can fit in a visit. (I’ve already put Biot on the itinerary). Thanks yet again for the inspiration.

  4. Oh, how I’d love to visit france! The pictures, the shopping and the amazing scenery! Your posts make me feel like I could reach out and be there. Thanks for this Patricia!

  5. STUNNING! I just love how you are giving us all a little tour through another part of the world. Just beautiful. I love the video. I wish I was there!!!