Tarascon

A few years ago I spent part of a summer in the south of France and happened upon a beautiful town called Tarascon. Named for a mythical beast called the Tarasque, it is one of those lovely places you find in the French countryside, off the beaten track but worth the stopover. The most delightful ‘find’ in Tarascon was the Souleiado Museum. Souleiado is the home of the famous Provencal printed fabrics that are pervasive in the south of France. Like them or loath them, a trip to the Museum will give you an appreciation for the traditional wood block printing techniques that they used to make these fabrics in the 19th century. The Museum has preserved the original workshops and printing blocks. The day I visited long banners of fabrics were hanging in the courtyard as if drying from a fresh print run. Wonderful.

If you are interested in visiting Tarascon and want a base to explore this region, I can recommend a local town house available through Alana Pryce. She and her husband have restored one of the old stone houses inside the town walls and rent out for holiday stays. http://www.alanapryce.co.uk/provence.htm
http://www.bellelettres.com