The mild month of June is ideal for exploring Giroussens, the pottery village. The Contemporary Ceramics Market is held there every year. I'll take you through the streets of this small town, founded in the 11th century and now a "Town of Arts and Crafts."
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The world of ceramics
The must-see event of June: the Contemporary Ceramics Market
This pottery market takes place every year in early June in the village streets. It's a gathering for everyone, from amateurs and professionals to those just walking by. With nearly 70 ceramicists in attendance and thousands of visitors, the Giroussens pottery market is now one of the most prestigious in France and Europe.
Contemporary Ceramics Market
Discover the ceramic workshops
Throughout the year, visit ceramicists' workshops and discover their expertise and creations. Take part in a pottery workshop at Convent Workshops which bring together three ceramics workshops. The sessions are adapted to suit the audience, both children and adults.
Visit the Contemporary Ceramics Center
Four to eight exhibitions dedicated to contemporary ceramics are organized each year. Throughout the year, two permanent exhibitions showcase Giroussens's ancient ceramics and the works of artist Lucie Bouniol, a famous sculptor from the turn of the century, a contemporary and confidant of Colette.
Let yourself wander…
…In the alleys of the city
Take the time to stroll through the alleys, you might come across an astonishing three-wheeled bike, the B'Art Nomade. A traveling artistic space imagined by Amandine, watercolor painter, illustrator and storyteller, she wanders the streets and leaves moments of poetry.
…At the Martels Gardens
This 35000 m² floral park is classified Remarkable GardenA poetic and exotic getaway, a change of scenery thanks to the diversity of species that thrive there. A true journey across continents! An English-style park, multicolored flowerbeds, a tropical water lily greenhouse, a lotus temple, a bamboo labyrinth... and even wide open spaces where you can find animals in freedom or semi-freedom. Deer, llamas, Highland cows...
Did you know?
This magnificent and immense garden began as a farmhouse purchased in 1969 by a couple with a passion for flowers. They embellished their property and, as a sport, entered the Tarn Flower Farms competition, winning several times. Little by little, the garden expanded and, 24 years later, opened to the public. Today, this incredible garden welcomes 60 visitors a year.
Tracing the history of pottery
Continue your immersion in the history of Giroussens pottery at Rabastin Country Museum in Rabastens. You can admire an exceptional collection of terracotta, painted and produced in Giroussens between the 17th and 19th centuries, forming a unique collection in the world.
Take the car - 15 minutes - or the bike - 1 hour - to reach Montans. Due to its position on the Tarn and the presence of alluvium and clay, the place is ideal for the creation of pottery, which will expand under the Roman occupation. Montans will become one of the main production centers of Sigillata of the Roman Empire.
Sigillata is a technique originating in Tuscany, Italy, and imported here with the Roman conquest. It is an easily recognizable ceramic tableware, reddish-brown in color with a beautiful, shiny appearance. It is impermeable to water thanks to very specific firing processes.
In addition to the production of sigillata, there was also so-called "common" ceramics, as well as amphorae dedicated to the transport of wine already produced locally, as well as building materials such as bricks and tiles. The waterways of the Tarn and then the Garonne encouraged trade: many Montans pottery and ceramics can be found throughout western France, as far away as Spain, Brittany, and Great Britain!
Visit the Montans Archaeological Center. and travel back in time to the Gallo-Roman era to learn all about sealed pottery! In addition to the archaeological collections, you'll also discover a life-size reconstruction of a Roman street and house.
A wine tour between vineyards and pottery
Head to the Carcenac estate to hike the Sigillata trail, a wine tour, combining viticulture and pottery.
1h30 – No elevation gain.
Practical information
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