Terroir & local life
The terroir of the Verdon
Valensole lavender, Aups black truffle, Moustiers faience, Pierrevert wine: the Verdon is a land of flavours and craftsmanship. Here are its specialities, the producers you can visit and the markets where you can find them.
The specialities
The purple fields of the Valensole plateau — the postcard image of Haute-Provence.
The “black diamond” of the Haut-Var: Aups is “the Var’s capital of black truffle”, according to the Lacs et Gorges du Verdon tourist office, with its winter truffle market.
Olives from the groves of the Haut-Var, pressed in the region’s mills from autumn onwards.
The southernmost appellation in the Alps, at the western gateway to the Valensole plateau. Further south, in the Var, another geographical indication coexists on the same basin: the IGP Var, with the designation “Coteaux du Verdon”.
Lavender honey, harvested when the plateau is in bloom.
An art born in the 17th century, cobalt-blue decoration then polychrome — the great name of Verdon craftsmanship.
The almond tree, cousin of lavender on the plateau — and the nougat that comes from it.
The rustic grain of the mid-mountain plateaus, grown here since Antiquity.
Two neighbouring wine appellations, not a mistake: west of the Valensole plateau, the AOC Coteaux de Pierrevert (AOP Pierrevert, 11 communes in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence including Pierrevert, Manosque, Gréoux-les-Bains and Quinson) is the historic appellation of this side of the Verdon. Further south, in the Var, around the gorges and the lakes (Aups, Aiguines, Bauduen, Esparron, Les Salles-sur-Verdon…), a distinct geographical indication coexists: the IGP Var, supplemented by the designation “Coteaux du Verdon”. Two different statuses (AOC/AOP and IGP), two neighbouring territories, one and the same wine-growing Verdon.
Producers & workshops to visit
Local producers of the Verdon →
The truffle markets
- Aups — Thursdays · late November to late February, sometimes until mid-March
- Aups — June–August (summer truffle / night markets)
- Riez — Wednesdays · early November to late February
Another truffle-growing village in the area: Montagnac-Montpezat, historically nicknamed “Montagnac-les-Truffes”, still has nearly a hundred hectares of truffle orchards today and a truffle market on Sunday mornings in season (mid-November to mid-March), a few kilometres from Riez.
And in summer, Provençal markets bring the villages of the Verdon to life (Castellane, Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, Gréoux-les-Bains, Esparron-de-Verdon, Riez, Valensole…). Find all the weekly markets and festivals in the Verdon events calendar.
Frequently asked questions
What are the specialities of the Verdon?
Lavender and lavandin from the Valensole plateau, black truffle from the Haut-Var (Aups, Riez), faience from Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, AOC Coteaux de Pierrevert wine, olive oil, lavender honey, Valensole almonds and nougat, and petit épeautre (einkorn) from Haute-Provence.
Where can you see lavender fields in the Verdon?
On the Valensole plateau (Valensole, Puimoisson, Riez), which the departmental tourist office presents as one of the most important places for lavender growing. Flowering runs from mid-June to mid-July; distillation takes place in July–August. An emblematic landscape of Provence.
Where can you buy truffles in the Verdon?
At the winter truffle markets: Aups (Thursdays, from late November to late February, sometimes until mid-March), Riez (Wednesdays, from November to February) and Montagnac-Montpezat (Sunday mornings, in season). Aups is “the Var’s capital of black truffle”, according to the Lacs et Gorges du Verdon tourist office; Montagnac-Montpezat, nicknamed “Montagnac-les-Truffes”, also has its own market.
What is Moustiers faience?
A fine faience born in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie in the 17th century (the first master faience-maker, Pierre Clérissy, set up in 1679), famous for its cobalt-blue decoration on a white background and later its polychrome designs. Several workshops in the village can still be visited.
Check for yourself
The external sources this page relies on, one click away. We would rather you be able to contradict us than ask you to take our word for it.
- INAO — Institut national de l’origine et de la qualitéinao.gouv.fr
Public body that recognises and monitors the official quality labels (AOP, IGP, Label Rouge): the only authority that establishes that a terroir product is entitled to an appellation.
- Parc naturel régional du Verdonparcduverdon.fr
The area’s managing authority: regulations by environment (land, aquatic, vertical), bivouacking and camping, fire, drones, advice from the Park rangers.
- Verdon Tourisme — intercommunal tourist officeverdontourisme.com
Official tourist information for the area: sites, services and trip-planning advice.
All 3 links responded during our last automated check, on 29 October 2026. A broken link is removed, never left in place.